Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?

Vitiligo is a disorder of depigmentation affecting up to two percent of the global population. It is a long-held belief that patients with vitiligo have an increased risk for skin cancers due to the loss of melanin, a pigment which protects the skin against carcinogenesis. Phototherapy, a mainstay t...

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Main Authors: Sahngeun Jenny Mun, Monisha Gupta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-12-01
Series:Pigment International
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/pigmentinternational_28_24
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author Sahngeun Jenny Mun
Monisha Gupta
author_facet Sahngeun Jenny Mun
Monisha Gupta
author_sort Sahngeun Jenny Mun
collection DOAJ
description Vitiligo is a disorder of depigmentation affecting up to two percent of the global population. It is a long-held belief that patients with vitiligo have an increased risk for skin cancers due to the loss of melanin, a pigment which protects the skin against carcinogenesis. Phototherapy, a mainstay treatment modality for vitiligo, is similarly debated in literature over its carcinogenic potential on the skin due to ultraviolet (UV) exposure. However, new research shows that neither vitiligo nor its treatments are implicated in increased skin cancer risks. Unfortunately, this is not a common knowledge amongst patients, general practitioners (GPs) and dermatologists, which is a disservice to patients with vitiligo. This review outlines the current evidence surrounding skin cancer risks for patients with vitiligo and hopes to provide recommendations for clinical practice to improve the quality of life (QoL) of those affected.
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institution Kabale University
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publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
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series Pigment International
spelling doaj-art-57f073e7a18f4b9db8bd6f85bbc136202025-02-08T05:39:50ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsPigment International2349-57822024-12-0111314215010.4103/pigmentinternational_28_24Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?Sahngeun Jenny MunMonisha GuptaVitiligo is a disorder of depigmentation affecting up to two percent of the global population. It is a long-held belief that patients with vitiligo have an increased risk for skin cancers due to the loss of melanin, a pigment which protects the skin against carcinogenesis. Phototherapy, a mainstay treatment modality for vitiligo, is similarly debated in literature over its carcinogenic potential on the skin due to ultraviolet (UV) exposure. However, new research shows that neither vitiligo nor its treatments are implicated in increased skin cancer risks. Unfortunately, this is not a common knowledge amongst patients, general practitioners (GPs) and dermatologists, which is a disservice to patients with vitiligo. This review outlines the current evidence surrounding skin cancer risks for patients with vitiligo and hopes to provide recommendations for clinical practice to improve the quality of life (QoL) of those affected.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/pigmentinternational_28_24vitiligocarcinoma: basal cellcarcinoma: squamousmelanomaphototherapy
spellingShingle Sahngeun Jenny Mun
Monisha Gupta
Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?
Pigment International
vitiligo
carcinoma: basal cell
carcinoma: squamous
melanoma
phototherapy
title Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?
title_full Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?
title_fullStr Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?
title_full_unstemmed Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?
title_short Vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy: what is the risk?
title_sort vitiligo and cutaneous malignancy what is the risk
topic vitiligo
carcinoma: basal cell
carcinoma: squamous
melanoma
phototherapy
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/pigmentinternational_28_24
work_keys_str_mv AT sahngeunjennymun vitiligoandcutaneousmalignancywhatistherisk
AT monishagupta vitiligoandcutaneousmalignancywhatistherisk