By Deborah Condon

People with psoriasis may be at an increased risk of developing lymphoma, a cancer that affects the body's immune system, the results of a new study indicate.

Lymphomas are cancers that develop in the lymphatic system, a part of the immune system. The job of the lymphatic system is to help fight diseases and infections.

Researchers set out to determine if the rate of lymphoma is different among patients with a history of psoriasis and those who have never had it. The study included over 2,700 patients with the skin condition and more than 105,000 people who did not have it.

The patients were followed up over a period of three-and-a-half years. During this time, 276 lymphomas were identified.

"Compared with the reference population, we found an additional 122 lymphomas per 100,000 patients annually among those with psoriasis, who were 65 years or older. These results indicate that patients with psoriasis are at increased risk for developing lymphoma", the researchers said.

However they added that additional studies would be required to determine if this increased rate of lymphoma is related to psoriasis severity, treatment or a combination of these factors.

Details of this study are published in the medical journal, 'Archives of Dermatology'.

Psoriasis is a skin condition that is estimated to affect around 100,000 Irish people. It appears as pink or red raised patches on the skin, known as plaques, which have a scaly surface and can be large or small. It is not infectious.

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