Hodgkin's lymphoma in systemic lupus erythematosus.
OBJECTIVE
In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), there is a well-documented increased risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but little is known about the risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL). The purpose of our work was to describe the phenomenon of HL in SLE.


METHODS
A multi-site cohort of 9547 SLE subjects was assembled; HL cases were ascertained through cancer registry linkage, and the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) for HL was determined. We also performed a literature search for HL cases in SLE, and compared these with our sample. Finally, we pooled results from our cohort study with two large population-based cohort studies providing SIR estimates for HL in SLE.


RESULTS
Five cases of HL occurred in our SLE cohort during the observation interval, for an SIR of 2.4 (95% CI 0.8, 5.5). The literature review documented 13 HL case reports developing in patients with SLE. A pooled analysis combining our data with the other large cohort studies yielded a standardized incidence ratio of 3.16 (95% CI, 1.63-5.51) for HL in SLE.


CONCLUSIONS
Data suggest that risk in SLE is increased not only for NHL, but also for other malignancies arising from B-lymphocytes, including HL.
Bernatsky
S
S
Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada. sasha.bernatsky@mail.mcgill.ca
Ramsey-Goldman
R
R
Isenberg
D
D
Rahman
A
A
Dooley
M A
MA
Sibley
J
J
Boivin
J-F
JF
Joseph
L
L
Armitage
J
J
Zoma
A
A
Clarke
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012306:Risk