Meta-Analysis Links Hidradenitis Suppurativa With Higher Cancer Risk

A systematic review and meta-analysis of cancer incidence in hidradenitis suppurativa reported that hidradenitis suppurativa was associated with a higher overall cancer risk than general-population controls. The evidence base comprised 11 observational studies including 624,721 patients with hidradenitis suppurativa and 393,691,636 controls. Investigators reported a pooled unadjusted odds ratio of 1.82 (95% confidence interval, 1.13 to 2.93). The analysis describes an observed association across pooled studies.

In unadjusted pooled analyses, hidradenitis suppurativa was associated with statistically significant increases in gastrointestinal, head and neck, hematological, and respiratory cancers. Subtype analyses also showed significant increases for Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, while the pooled estimate for lymphoma overall was not statistically significant. The pooled odds ratio was 1.61 for gastrointestinal cancers, 2.41 for head and neck cancers, and 1.71 for hematological cancers. Respiratory cancers were also elevated in the same pooled analysis. Overall, the reported excess was concentrated in selected cancer categories rather than across every outcome examined.

Skin malignancies followed a different pattern than the broader cancer outcomes. Crude analyses did not show statistically significant increases for overall skin cancer, non-melanoma skin cancer, squamous-cell carcinoma, basal-cell carcinoma, or melanoma. The authors also reported that adjusted analyses identified a significant association for squamous-cell carcinoma, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.50 (95% confidence interval, 1.87 to 3.35). Overall, the skin-cancer signal varied by outcome definition and by whether statistical adjustment was applied.

The investigators reported considerable heterogeneity across studies and noted that pooled estimates reflect overall trends rather than precise risk quantification.

Key Takeaways

• Pooled observational evidence was associated with a higher overall cancer risk in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa than in general-population controls.
• Several site-specific cancer categories were elevated, while crude skin-cancer outcomes were not significantly increased.
• Adjusted squamous-cell carcinoma findings differed from crude results, and the authors highlighted heterogeneity and confounding constraints.