A Raised Risk for NMSC in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Patients who receive azathioprine or 6-mercaptopurine for inflammatory bowel disease have a greater risk for developing nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Azathioprine is known to raise the risk for nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) in organ transplant recipients, but it has been considered safe in patients without transplanted organs or multiple immunosuppressive therapies. Azathioprine is often prescribed as a steroid-sparing agent for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and for many dermatologic disorders, including blistering diseases and chronic idiopathic eczemas. In two recent studies, investigators assessed whether such patients are at increased risk for NMSC.

Researchers in Canada made use of a Manitoba database to compare NMSC incidence in 9618 IBD patients and 91,738 controls. The IBD patients had an increased risk for developing basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) compared with controls (hazard…

Reviewing Author

Jeffrey P. Callen, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board XOMA; Eli Lilly; Celgene

Equity Various trust accounts

Editorial boards JAMA Dermatology; UpToDate

Leadership positions in professional societies Association of Professors of Dermatology (President-Elect)