The causal effect of rosacea on the risk of carcinomas: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

Chronic inflammation has been shown to play a role in the development and progression of certain types of cancer. Rosacea is indeed a long-term inflammatory skin condition characterized by inflammation and immune dysfunction. Recent observational studies have suggested a potential link between rosacea and an increased risk of several malignancies, including cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) ,cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), basal cell carcinoma (BCC), actinic keratosis (AK), thyroid cancer, breast cancer, glioma and hepatic cancer . But Erica M. et al.'s paper in your journal suggested that rosacea history may be a protective factor against the development of facial BCC . Those prior studies raised concerns among dermatologists and rosacea patients, prompting further investigation.
Observational studies, while informative, are susceptible to the influence of confounding factors and cannot establish causal inference. Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis has emerged as a method for deducing causal relationships between exposure and outcome by utilizing genetic variation as an instrumental variable (IV). This approach helps to circumvent the influence of confounders and reduces the likelihood of reverse causality, making it a promising method for assessing causality between diseases.
In this study, we conducted a bidirectional MR study to assess the causal effects of rosacea on CMM, cSCC, BCC, AK, thyroid cancer, breast cancer, glioma and hepatic cancer.