Rheumatic diseases and malignancy - is there an association?

An association between rheumatic diseases and malignancy has been claimed i n a variety of settings. This editorial reviews published data addressing t he overall risk of malignancy, and of particular ty pes of cancer, in the c ontext of various autoimmune rheumatic diseases, For patients with Sjogren' s syndrome, systemic sclerosis with pulmonary fibrosis, or with dermatomyos itis/polymyositis there is a documented association with an increased risk of malignant disease. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis may also have an i ncreased risk of cancer. It is still controversial whether systemic lupus e rythematosus is associated with an increased risk of developing malignancy. More epidemiologic studies are needed to try and clarify many of these ass ociations, in particular the potential risks associated with cytotoxic ther apy,