SkinChronicles, No 10, February 2026, by Alessia Paganelli

For decades, clinical observations and smaller cohort studies have suggested that lichen sclerosus (LS) carries an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), particularly of the vulva. However, the true magnitude of this risk has remained difficult to quantify. The population-based study by Veerabagu et al. (JAMA Dermatology, 2025) provides long-awaited confirmation using a robust epidemiological approach. By analyzing longitudinal data from U.S. female Medicare beneficiaries, the authors assessed LS prevalence and its association with subsequent SCC development.

Their findings reinforce what earlier literature had already pointed toward: women with LS have a significantly higher risk of developing vulvar SCC compared with those without LS. Importantly, this study moves the field forward by offering population-level risk estimates derived from real-world data rather than referral-based cohorts. The methodology—linking diagnostic codes over time in a large, aging population—strengthens confidence that the association is not incidental but clinically meaningful.

From a translational perspective, the relevance of these findings extends beyond epidemiology. The population-level risk quantified by Veerabagu et al. aligns with laboratory evidence suggesting that chronic inflammatory signaling in LS creates a microenvironment permissive to aggressive cellular behavior such as SCC.

To me, this paper matters because it confirms a risk many clinicians already suspect, while also highlighting a major gap: comparable data for men are still lacking. Male LS remains underdiagnosed, understudied, and often excluded from large datasets. My aim is to help retrieve similar evidence for men, ensuring that cancer risk assessment and follow-up are equitable and evidence-based across sexes.

Veerabagu SA, Li Y, Grinsfelder M, Little AJ, Srivastava D, Wehner MR. Lichen Sclerosus Prevalence and Squamous Cell Carcinoma Development in Female Medicare Beneficiaries. JAMA Dermatol. 2025 Jul 23;161(9):978–80. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2025.2257. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40699588; PMCID: PMC12287932.