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Is rosacea a risk factor for cancer: A population-based cohort study in Taiwan
Tsung-Hsien Chang1, Hsiu J Ho2, Yun-Ting Chang1, Chung-Pin Li3, Chun-Ying Wu4, Chen-Yi Wu5
1 Department of Dermatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; Department of Dermatology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
2 Division of Translational Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
3 Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
4 Division of Translational Research, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung; Department of Public Health, Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
5 Department of Dermatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital; Department of Dermatology, National Yang-Ming University; Department of Public Health, Institute of Public Health, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Correspondence Address:
Chen-Yi Wu
Department of Dermatology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, No. 201, Section 2, Shih-Pai Road, Taipei
Taiwan
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | 21 |
DOI: 10.4103/ds.ds_30_19
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Background: Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with mounting evidence associating it with systemic disorders. Cancer, induced or facilitated by chronic inflammatory microenvironment, shares common pathogenic mechanisms with rosacea. Objectives: We performed a population-based cohort study to investigate the risk of developing cancer among people with rosacea in Taiwan. Methods: A total of 65,526 patients with rosacea and 262,104 age-, sex-, and comorbidity-matched controls were identified from the Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 1997 and 2013. All participants were followed up for 2–12 years. Incidence rates (IRs) of overall and specific types of cancer were calculated. Cumulative incidences of cancer were compared between the two cohorts by Kaplan–Meier method and modified log-rank test. Hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for age, sex, and comorbidities for overall and specific malignancies were estimated using subdistribution proportional hazard models. Results: The IR (per 1000 person-years) of cancer was 2.83 in patients with rosacea and 3.00 in controls. There was no difference in cumulative incidence of cancer between patients with or without rosacea (P = 0.109). The risk of developing cancer did not increase among patients with rosacea (HR = 1.04; 95% confidence interval = 0.98–1.11). In addition, patients with rosacea did not have a significantly increased risk of developing any specific type of cancer. Conclusion: We found no association between rosacea and malignancy. These results did not agree with those reported in previous studies. Further research should be conducted to clarify the association between rosacea and cancer, especially focusing on the pathophysiology.
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