Cancer incidence in patients treated surgically for Dupuytren's contracture

Our aim was to study risk factors for Dupuytren's contracture (DC) by asses sing cancer morbidity in a group of Swedish patients treated surgically for Dupuytren's contracture. The risk of cancer was determined in 15,212 patie nts operated on for Dupuytren's contracture, identified in the nationwide S wedish Inpatient Register during the period 1965 to 1994 by means of record linkage to the Swedish Cancer Register. Standardized incidence ratios (SIR s) were computed using age-, sex- and period-specific incidence rates deriv ed from the entire Swedish population. The overall relative risk of cancer was increased by 24%, There were significantly increased risks for malignan cies related to smoking such as buccal, oesophageal, gastric, lung and panc reatic cancers. Significantly increased risks were present for both prostat e and rectal cancer in men and an increase risk for breast cancer in women was noted 1 year or more after surgery for Dupuytren's contracture. The pre sent study confirms smoking and alcohol abuse as probable risk factors for DC. There are characteristics in patients with DC that alter the risks for other malignancies compared with the general population.