Longevity & AgingNicotinamide Cuts Skin Cancer Risk by Up to 54% in Large Veterans Study
A large retrospective cohort study of over 33,000 veterans found that oral nicotinamide (500 mg twice daily) was associated with a 14% overall reduction in skin cancer risk. When initiated after a patient's very first skin cancer, the risk reduction jumped to 54%. Benefits were observed for both basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), with the greatest effect seen for cSCC. Among solid organ transplant recipients, no overall significant reduction was found, though early nicotinamide use was linked to reduced cSCC incidence. The findings support nicotinamide as a practical, low-cost chemopreventive strategy, particularly for high-risk patients early in their skin cancer history.
