Solid organ transplant patients are at high risk of invasive fungal infections (IFI) and may require long-term voriconazole use to manage or prevent IFI. In this regard, a recent meta-analysis of 8 clinical studies, stated that recipients of lung transplants (LT) or hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) who are taking the voriconazole may be at increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The meta-analysis involved 3,710 individuals with LT or HCT and reported that the use of voriconazole was significantly associated with increased risk of SCC (Relative Risk (RR) - 1.86; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) - 1.36 – 2.55).
Moreover, the increased risk did not differ according to the type of transplantation or adjustment for sun exposure. Longer duration of voriconazole was found to be positively associated with the risk of SCC (RR - 1.72; 95% CI, 1.09 – 2.72). Source – Tang H, Shi W, Song Y,…
