The following is a summary of “Dupilumab therapy for atopic dermatitis is associated with increased risk of cutaneous T cell lymphoma: A retrospective cohort study,” published in the August 2024 issue of Dermatology by Hasan et al.

Dupilumab, used for moderate to severe atopic dermatitis (AD), has been linked to the development of cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) in some cases.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study investigating the potential association between dupilumab use and the development of CTCL in patients with AD.

They used the TrinetX database to compare the incidence of cutaneous and lymphoid malignancies, including CTCL, between patients with AD who used dupilumab and patients who did not. A second analysis excluded patients with prior use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. The propensity score was applied to account for covariates.

The results showed an elevated risk of CTCL in patients with AD using dupilumab (OR 4.1003, 95% CI 2.055-8.192). Elevated risk remained even after removing cases with prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drug use. No increased risk was found for other cutaneous or lymphoid malignancies. Most CTCL cases (27 out of 41) were diagnosed more than one year after starting dupilumab.

Investigators concluded that dupilumab use was associated with an increased risk of CTCL in patients with AD.

Source: jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(24)00566-8/abstract