WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2024 -- Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with an increased risk for subsequent skin cancer, according to a review published online July 10 in the International Journal of Dermatology.

Miguel Mansilla-Polo, M.D., from the Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe in Valencia, Spain, and colleagues examined the risk for skin cancer following HSCT in a review involving 26 studies with 164,944 HSCT recipients (68,637 underwent allogeneic HSCT; 95,435 underwent autologous HSCT).

The researchers found that the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for skin cancer post-HSCT was 7.21 overall, with SIRs of 2.25 and 10.18 for autologous and allogeneic HSCT, respectively. Risk factors for skin cancer included chronic graft-versus-host-disease (hazard ratio, 2.86), especially for basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; hazard ratios, 1.80 and 3.68, respectively), male gender, especially for SCC (hazard ratios, 1.56 and 1.70, respectively), and voriconazole exposure (hazard ratio, 2.01). No significant association was seen for total body irradiation with subsequent skin cancer.

"These findings highlight the critical need for vigilant skin cancer surveillance and preventive measures in this high-risk population, particularly among men with allogeneic transplants and other identified risk factors," the authors write.