Drug Survival and Clinical Course of Patients with Cancer Treated with Biologic Therapy for Psoriasis.

Background/

Objectives

Patients with treated solid tumors (TST) are a highly heterogeneous and difficult-to-treat population due to the risk of disease progression/recurrence or infection.

Methods

We conducted an observational, retrospective, single-center study at the Dermatology Clinic of Turin with a focus on the special population of cancer patients with psoriasis treated with biologics.

Results

As of July 2023, 52 psoriatic patients with a prior/concomitant history of malignancy had taken biologic drugs. The median age was 67 years, and the median age of cancer onset was 55 years. The most common tumors were gastrointestinal cancer and melanoma. After the tumor diagnosis, 61% received an anti-IL17 drug; 37 patients continued the initiated biologic therapy, while 12 switched drugs due to secondary inefficacy. The estimated biologic DS was 55.6% at 50 months. Evidence suggests that IL-17 is a key pathogenic factor involved in tumorigenesis, resulting in a lower risk of malignancies in subjects managed with IL-17 inhibitors. Similarly, IL-23 plays a role in suppressing innate immunity and promoting tumor and metastases development. This is a consistent real-life case series that support the use of biologic drugs in patients with TST.

Conclusions

IL-23 and IL-17 inhibitors, being immunomodulators rather than immunosuppressants, may be a safe option for patients in an active oncological setting and for immune-correlated adverse events.