Study Finds No Clear Link Between Vitiligo and Cancer Risk
Researchers have discovered that patients with vitiligo, a chronic autoimmune skin disorder that occurs in 1–2% of the world's population, do not seem to have a substantially elevated or diminished overall risk for developing cancer. The results indicate that there are no consistent associations between vitiligo and malignancy. The study was conducted by Alzahra and colleagues published in the journal of Dermatology and Therapy.
The meta-analysis was performed in line with PRISMA 2020 and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023483130). Researchers performed an extensive literature search on Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. Among 7,753 records identified, 6,378 were left after removing duplicates, and eventually 12 studies were included in the final review. Of these, six studies yielded data that were appropriate for quantitative meta-analysis.
Overall, the combined sample was representative of 3,267,951 participants, 289,322 of whom had vitiligo. Analysis focused specifically on malignancy risks for melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, and lymphoma—three cancer groups previously suspected to be affected by vitiligo-associated immune mechanisms.
Key Findings
12 studies were included in the final review.
6 studies were meta-analysis eligible.
Total sample size: 3,267,951 participants.
Vitiligo patients: 289,322 individuals.
Pooled hazard ratio (HR) for lymphoma: 1.00 (95% CI 0.40–2.53), showing no significant increase in risk.
Pooled HR for melanoma: 0.80 (95% CI 0.27–2.34), suggesting no consistent association and a possible—but unproven—protective effect.
Pooled HR for non-melanoma skin cancer: 0.38 (95% CI 0.00–732.76), a highly variable result reflecting study heterogeneity.
This wide-ranging meta-analysis, encompassing more than 3.2 million participants, failed to identify any obvious correlation between cancer risk and vitiligo. While a protective role against certain malignancies remains a possibility, the enormous heterogeneity of study findings makes interpretation of conclusions highly cautious. Greater methodological rigor is needed to characterize the actual relationship between vitiligo and malignancy risk.
Reference:
Mohammed, A.A., Lengyel, A.S., Meznerics, F.A. et al. Cancer Risk in Vitiligo: No Evidence of Increased Prevalence—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb) (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13555-025-01520-0
