Search

History of keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) has been associated with survival following the diagnosis of a second primary malignancy (SPM), with the direction of the association varying by cancer type. Research is needed to elucidate the role of other key factors in this association.A retrospective cohort study was conducted among patients newly diagnosed and/or treated at Moffitt Cancer Center in December 2008-April 2020 with breast cancer, lung cancer, melanoma, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (NHL/CLL) (n = 29,156). History of KC was obtained from new patient intake questionnaires. Age- and stage-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to estimate the association between history of KC and survival following each cancer, stratified by demographic/clinical characteristics.KC history was most prevalent in patients with melanoma (28.7%), CLL (19.8%) and lung cancer (16.1%). KC history was associated with better overall survival following prostate cancer (HR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.55-0.99) and poorer overall survival following CLL (HR = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.10-2.71). Patients with a history of KC experienced better survival within the first four years of a melanoma diagnosis (HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.67-0.92); whereas poorer survival was observed for patients who survived 7 + years after a melanoma diagnosis (HR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.17-4.05). Stratification by treatment and stage revealed directional differences in the associations between KC history and survival among patients with breast cancer and melanoma.KC history may be a predictor of survival following an SPM, possibly serving as a marker of immune function and/or DNA damage repair capacity.