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Review
. 2016 Feb;30(1):53-62.
doi: 10.1016/j.berh.2016.03.001. Epub 2016 Apr 9.

Cancer and autoimmunity: Harnessing longitudinal cohorts to probe the link

Giordano Egiziano  1 , Sasha Bernatsky  2 , Ami A Shah  3
Affiliations
Review

Cancer and autoimmunity: Harnessing longitudinal cohorts to probe the link

Giordano Egiziano et al. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2016 Feb.

Abstract

In many autoimmune rheumatic diseases, there is an increased risk of cancer compared to the general population. While reasons for this increased risk have not been elucidated, it has been hypothesized that the link between cancer and autoimmunity may be bidirectional. For instance, chronic inflammation and damage from the rheumatic disease or its therapies may trigger malignant transformation; conversely, antitumor immune responses targeting cancers may become cross-reactive resulting in autoimmunity. In rare rheumatic diseases, longitudinal observational studies can play a critical role in studying these complex relationships, thereby enabling investigators to quantify the extent of cancer risk, identify unique clinical phenotypes associated with cancer, investigate the biological link between these conditions, and define optimal strategies for screening and treatment of the underlying cancer. In this review, we discuss recent data on cancer in the rheumatic diseases and suggest a research agenda to address several gaps in our current knowledge base.

Keywords: Autoimmunity; Cancer; Epidemiology; Observational cohorts.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest and funding statement:

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. This work was supported by in part by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K23 AR061439. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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