Estrogen treatment increased the risk for all investigated skin cancers<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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TUESDAY, April 1, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Some commonly prescribed photosensitizing drugs increase skin cancer risk, according to a study published online March 18 in Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Gustav Boelsgaard Christensen, from Sk\u00e5ne University Hospital in Lund, Sweden, and colleagues assessed whether the use of commonly prescribed photosensitizing drugs increases skin cancer risk.<\/p>\n The researchers found that hormone replacement therapy significantly increased the risk for basal cell carcinoma (BCC; hazard ratio [HR], 1.24), cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC; HR 1.23), and cutaneous malignant melanoma (cM; HR, 1.31), with estrogen driving the risk. There was a trend observed between a higher risk for BCC and cM and higher doses of estrogen treatment. Among individuals using diuretics, loop diuretics were associated with increased cSCC risk (HR, 1.6), including a positive association between risk and dose. Thiazide use was tied to increased risks for BCC (HR, 1.25) and cM (HR, 1.41). There was a possible curvilinear association between nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and BCC and cSCC.<\/p>\n “We suggest that physicians should advise female patients prescribed estrogen, thiazides, or loop diuretics to limit their sun exposure,” the authors write. “Future well-designed prospective studies are warranted to further investigate the relationships between common photosensitizing drugs and the risk of skin cancer.”<\/p>\n Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n