Acne and Cancer, What the Research Shows
Written by Dr Gerard Ee, MBBS (UK), MRCS (Edinburgh), PGDip Practical Dermatology (Cardiff), sole author. First published November 2018. Last medically reviewed and updated 1 September 2026. Acne and cancer, the short answer There is no convincing evidence that acne causes cancer, and acne is not a recognised sign of most internal cancers. Several observational studies have reported associations between severe adolescent acne and later prostate cancer, breast cancer or melanoma, although the findings are inconsistent and do not establish causation. Certain cancer medicines, particularly epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors, produce an acne-like eruption in a high proportion of
