Association between Skin Cancer and Systemic and Ocular Comorbidities in South Korea

Abstract

BACKGROUND: In this study, we investigated the associations between various systemic and ocular comorbidities and skin cancer, in a nationwide cohort of South Koreans. METHOD: We reviewed the data of 1,103,302 individuals in the South Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort database from 2002 to 2015. Of these, 1202 individuals diagnosed with skin cancer from 2004 were included in the study group. The control group was matched in a 1:5 ratio based on propensity scores. RESULTS: The prevalence rates of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer increased from 2004 to 2015. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that, among the various systemic conditions, hypertension was significantly associated with skin cancer, while among ocular comorbidities, macular degeneration showed a significant association with skin cancer. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to demonstrate associations between skin cancer and various systemic and ocular comorbidities. The results suggest that hypertension and macular degeneration may increase the risk of skin cancer development, or vice versa. Further studies are needed to evaluate the causal relationships between these conditions.