Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in dermatomyositis

Abstract

The most common cancer associated with dermatomyositis in NPC-endemic populations is NPC. 90% of dermatomyositis patients with NPC were diagnosed with cancer within a year of myositis onset, whereas the most delayed presentation of NPC occurred 22 months after myositis onset. There was a greater proportion of subclinical early-stage cancer in NPC associated with dermatomyositis compared to general NPC. Dermatomyositis patients with early-stage NPC have good survival outcomes while those with advanced-stage NPC appear to have poorer prognosis compared to general NPC patients. Dermatomyositis patients with anti-transcription intermediary factor (TIF)-1ƴ antibodies had a 14.5-fold higher risk of developing associated cancers compared with seronegative dermatomyositis.