AG Inflammatory Skin Disease and Cancer (Sondermann)
AG Inflammatory Skin Disease and Cancer (Sondermann)
Little is known about the impact of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and the use of anti-inflammatory therapies on the outcome of patients with cancer such as malignant melanoma. Both the immunological status of the patient and the effect of anti-inflammatory therapies (e.g. biological therapies especially with monoclonal antibodies) that the patient is receiving or has received in the past may play a role.
This question is of great importance for daily clinical practice. On the one hand, with a prevalence of 2-3%, psoriasis is one of the most common inflammatory dermatoses in the western world. On the other hand, psoriasis can be aggravated by anti-cancer immunotherapy or can develop for the first time during immunotherapy.
Using a translational approach, our group is investigating whether chronic inflammation influences the growth and response to therapy of malignant melanoma and whether systemic anti-psoriatic therapy is safe in the presence of melanoma.
PD Dr. med.
Wiebke Sondermann
Leitende Oberärztin,
Fachärztin für Haut- und Geschlechtskrankheiten