Melanoma risk in patients treated with biologic therapy for common inflammatory diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Source: MDLinx, July 2020

Researchers searched Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) for articles published from January 1, 1995 to February 7, 2019 to assess if biologic treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriasis is correlated with an increased risk of melanoma vs conventional systemic therapy. Seven cohort studies were eligible for inclusion; they included 34,029 biologic-treated patients and 135,370 biologic-naive patients treated with conventional systemic therapy. The results obtained from the systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that clinically meaningful, if not statistically significant, increases in melanoma risk were seen in patients with inflammatory diseases treated with biologic therapy.

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