Skin Cancer Risk Reduced for Patients Treated With Nicotinamide

THURSDAY, Sept. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- For patients treated with nicotinamide, the risk for skin cancer is reduced, especially when initiated after a first skin cancer, according to a study published online Sept. 17 in JAMA Dermatology.Kimberly F. Breglio, M.D., D.Phil., from Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study to examine the clinical efficacy of nicotinamide supplementation for skin cancer prevention in the general population and in solid organ transplant recipients. The study included 12,287 patients exposed to oral nicotinamide 500 mg twice daily for more than 30 days and 21,479 matched unexposed patients.The researchers found 10,994 instances of basal cell carcinoma and 12,551 cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas (cSCCs) after nicotinamide exposure within the matched dataset. In the matched cohort, 1,334 (3.9 percent) were solid organ transplant recipients. A significant 14 percent reduction in skin cancer risk was seen overall. The risk reduction increased to 54 percent when nicotinamide was initiated after a first skin cancer; with initiation following subsequent skin cancers, this benefit declined. The reduction in risk was seen for skin cancers overall, basal cell carcinoma, and cSCC; the greatest reduction was seen for cSCC. No overall significant risk reduction was observed among solid organ transplant recipients; reduced cSCC incidence was seen in association with early nicotinamide use."The growing body of literature suggests that we should routinely recommend nicotinamide as secondary prevention for all patients with skin cancer and that earlier initiation will have a stronger effect," Sarah T. Arron, M.D., Ph.D., from the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group in California, writes in an accompanying editorial. "Integrating this new information into patient counseling can be straightforward in the context of the skin cancer treatment. Consider the phone call to a patient with a first diagnosis of skin cancer. ... This is an ideal time to recommend nicotinamide, as the patient may be most receptive to the information."Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)Editorial (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Skin Cancer Risk Reduced for Patients Treated With Nicotinamide

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