Skin cancer risk in alopecia areata: a systematic review and meta-analysis - Takeaways - MDSpire

Skin cancer risk in alopecia areata: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • By

  • Simonetta I. Gaumond

  • Alireza Abdshah

  • Isabella Kamholtz

  • Peyton V. Warp

  • Keyvan Nouri

  • Antonella Tosti

  • Joaquin J. Jimenez

  • May 11, 2026

  • 0 min

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  • 1

    Alopecia areata (AA) is associated with a statistically significant reduction in melanoma incidence, with an odds ratio of 0.58.

  • 2

    Overall skin cancer risk in patients with AA is reduced but not statistically significant, with an odds ratio of 0.58.

  • 3

    Pooled estimates suggest directionally reduced associations for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, but these did not reach statistical significance.

  • 4

    High between-study heterogeneity was observed, indicating variability in the results across different studies.

  • 5

    The findings support that AA is not linked to increased skin cancer risk, providing important context for patient counseling and safety assessments.

Original Source(s)

Skin cancer risk in alopecia areata: a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • by Simonetta I. Gaumond, Alireza Abdshah, Isabella Kamholtz, Peyton V. Warp, Keyvan Nouri, Antonella Tosti, Joaquin J. Jimenez

  • May 11, 2026

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