Autoimmune Skin Diseases Linked to Better Cancer Survival: JAMA

During the follow-up period, the death rates from all causes and cancer were evaluated. Both propensity score matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) were used to adjust for any confounding. Hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality were estimated using Cox proportional hazards regression models, while subdistribution HRs (SHRs) for cancer-specific mortality were estimated using the Fine-Gray hazard model, where noncancer-related deaths were regarded as competing events.

26,008 of the 197,895 patients that were part of the study had ASD (mean [SD] age: 64.0 [13.3] years; 14,969 female [57.6%]), while 171 887 were in the non-ASD group (mean [SD] age: 62.8 [13.0] years; 80 525 female [46.9%]). With an IPTW-adjusted HR of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.92-0.96) for all-cause mortality and a SHR of 0.94 (95% CI, 0.92-0.96) for cancer-specific mortality, patients with ASDs fared considerably better than those without ASDs in terms of survival.

Propensity score-matched studies showed no change in these correlations. Sjögren syndrome and alopecia areata were consistently linked to a reduced risk of death all ASD subgroups. Overall, in this population-based cohort study, cancer survival results were noticeably higher for individuals with ASDs than for those without. 

Source:

To, S.-Y., Lee, C.-H., Chen, Y.-H., Hsu, L.-F., Chen, I.-W., Yang, H.-W., Wen, Y.-L., & Kao, L.-T. (2025). Autoimmune skin diseases and survival outcomes after antineoplastic treatment in patients with cancer. JAMA Dermatology (Chicago, Ill.). https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2025.1949