Retrospective analysis of the occurrence of internal malignancy in patients treated with PUVA between 1986 and 1999 in South Warwickshire

Clin Exp Dermatol. 2004 Mar;29(2):154-5. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2230.2004.01489.x.

Abstract

Concerns were raised in our department when four of our patients receiving PUVA treatment developed internal malignancy. We reviewed the medical and phototherapy case notes of patients who received either systemic or bath PUVA therapy in our department between 1986 and 1999. Among the 197 patients for whom we were able to trace the hospital records we identified five patients with internal malignancies. Over the same period (1986-1999) we calculated, using the Kaplan-Meier nonparametric estimator, that 4.6 cases of internal malignancy would have been anticipated in our study population. Therefore PUVA therapy did not appear to be a risk factor for internal malignancy.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Child
  • England / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasms / chemically induced*
  • Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • PUVA Therapy / adverse effects*
  • Psoriasis / drug therapy
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Survival Analysis