WEDNESDAY, Dec. 11, 2024 -- Patients with vitiligo do not have an increased incidence of cancer, according to a study published online Dec. 2 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Yochai Schonmann, M.D., from Clalit Health Services in Tel Aviv, Israel, and colleagues examined the risk for cancer in patients with vitiligo in a population-based study using data from 2000 to 2023. The study included 25,008 patients with vitiligo and 245,550 matched controls.

The researchers found that among patients with vitiligo and those without, there were 499 and 487 incident cancer cases per 100,000 person-years, respectively. The risks for melanoma, lung cancer, and bladder cancer were significantly reduced among patients with vitiligo (adjusted hazard ratios, 0.70, 0.73, and 0.70, respectively).

"Our study demonstrates that incidence rates of cancer are not increased in patients with vitiligo compared to healthy controls," the authors write. "We suggest that routine cancer screening (e.g., for breast, colorectal, etc.) in patients with vitiligo should be conducted only according to the screening recommendations in the general population."

One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.