The study, led by Mengsi Liu and colleagues from the Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute in Guangzhou, China, and published in BMC Cancer, aimed to systematically evaluate the relationship between psoriasis and the risk of developing 33 different cancers. While previous observational research had suggested some connections between psoriasis and certain malignancies, this comprehensive genetic analysis provided a more robust assessment of possible causal links.
For their investigation, the researchers selected 49 independent single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) strongly associated with psoriasis from a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS). These genetic markers were used as instrumental variables to explore their potential impact on cancer risk, drawing on outcome data from multiple sources, including the FinnGen consortium (over 500,000 individuals), the UK Biobank (more than 420,000 participants), and other large cancer datasets.
The following were the key findings of the study:
- Genetically predicted psoriasis was associated with a slightly increased risk of colon cancer in the UK Biobank data.
- In the UK Biobank data, psoriasis showed a decreased risk of uterine corpus cancer.
- The FinnGen data indicated an elevated risk of vulvar cancer and a reduced risk of uterine corpus and prostate cancers linked to psoriasis.
- Additional large datasets further supported the inverse association between psoriasis and prostate cancer.
- The combined meta-analysis confirmed a suggestive protective association between psoriasis and uterine corpus cancer (OR 0.931) and prostate cancer (OR 0.976).
- No consistent associations were found for colon or vulvar cancers, or any other cancer types.
While the results are intriguing, the authors cautioned that several limitations should be considered. Potential biases such as horizontal pleiotropy, survival bias, and unmeasured confounding could influence the observed associations. Additionally, the findings were derived from European ancestry populations, which may limit applicability to other ethnic groups with different genetic and environmental backgrounds.
Furthermore, the use of genetic instruments representing lifelong susceptibility to psoriasis may not fully capture the clinical nuances of disease onset, severity, or treatment-related effects—factors that could also affect cancer risk.
The authors conclude, "Despite these caveats, this study provides valuable genetic evidence that psoriasis might play a protective role against uterine corpus and prostate cancers." They recommend further validation through prospective clinical studies and mechanistic research to better understand the biological pathways involved.
Reference:
Liu, M., Sun, Z., Tan, P. et al. Associations between psoriasis and risk of 33 cancers: a Mendelian randomization study. BMC Cancer 25, 837 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14243-4
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