Cancer in Italian Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

European Journal of Inflammation

Letter to the Editor

B. Marasini¹  N. Ughi²  N. Carlo-Stella²  L. Belloli² 

[1] Prof. Bianca Marasini, IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy, Tel: ++ 39 02 8224 4075 6443, Fax: ++ 39 02 8224 2298, e-mail: ;Rheumatology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Clinico Humanitas, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy;

关键词: cancer;    systemic sclerosis;    Italian population;    lung cancer;    breast cancer;   

DOI  :  10.1177/1721727X1100900215

 received in 2010-08-18, accepted in 2011-03-15,  发布年份 2011

来源: Sage Journals

【 摘 要 】

The association between cancer and systemic sclerosis (SSc) is known, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear and epidemiological data is conflicting. Since no data exist on cancer in Italian SSc, we examined the frequency and characteristics of cancer in an Italian cohort of SSc patients to examine whether clinical and/or laboratory SSc-specific features represent a risk for developing malignancies in these patients. A retrospective chart review was carried out of 112 Italian SSc patients of whom 109 were women 3 and were men, aged 63±13 years; 81 patients had limited SSc, 25 had diffuse SSc and 6 had sine scleroderma SSc. Fifteen cancers were found in 14 patients. The majority (60%) occurred after SSc onset (average 16 years), 40% occurred before the onset of SSc (average 14 years). The most frequent was breast cancer (prevalence: 4.5%, relative prevalence:33.3%), followed by uterine cancer and lymphomas (prevalence: 2.7%, relative prevalence: 20% each). Lung cancer was not observed. Cancers were unrelated with SSc type, autoantibodies, organ involvement and treatments. In conclusion, clinical features do not seem to be linked with the risk of developing cancer in SSc patients. Interestingly, and in contrast with published data, no lung cancer was present in our patients, although lung involvement was observed in the majority of them. This finding, consistent with a lower prevalence of lung cancer in the Italian female general population, and the absence of associations between SSc-specific features and cancer, suggests that genetic and environmental factors might play a pivotal role in cancer risk in these patients.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
© 2011 SAGE Publications