FRIDAY, July 9 (HealthDay News) -- People with specific
antibodies may develop both cancer and a certain type of
scleroderma -- an incurable autoimmune disease -- at nearly the
same time, new research finds. The finding, from a small study of
23 patients, hints at a possible link between cancer and autoimmune
disorders.
Scleroderma is a condition that causes scar tissue to build up
in the skin and in major organ systems. Some people with
scleroderma seem also to be at increased risk for cancer.
"Our research adds more to the discussion about whether cancer and autoimmune diseases are related and whether cancer may be a trigger for scleroderma," study lead author Dr. Ami A. Shah, an assistant professor of medicine in the rheumatology division at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.
Shah and colleagues analyzed blood and tumor samples from 23
patients with both scleroderma and cancer. Patients with antibodies
called anti-RNA polymerase I/III had the most closely related onset
of cancer and scleroderma - both diseases developed within two
years of one another.
Similar results appeared in another subset of patients, although
they did not test positive for any known autoimmune antibodies. The
researchers speculated that they may have immune markers in their
blood that have not yet been discovered.
The study appears online in the journal
Arthritis & Rheumatism.
The reasons for the apparent association between scleroderma and
cancer aren't known, and it's not clear whether cancer could be
causing scleroderma or vice versa, Shah said. Among the
theories:
- An immune response generated by the body to fight a tumor may
trigger the development of scleroderma.
- Organ damage from scleroderma could increase the risk of
cancer.
- Immune-suppressing drugs used to treat scleroderma could lead
to cancer.
A number of other autoimmune disorders also appear to have a
possible connection to cancer and this research could have
implications for those diseases as well, Shah said.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and
Skin Diseases has more about
scleroderma.