title: Malignancies in Italian patients with systemic sclerosis positive for anti-RNA polymerase III antibodies.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the frequency of malignancies in Italian patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and anti-RNA polymerase III (RNAP III), antitopoisomerase I (topo I), or anticentromere antibodies (ACA); and to characterize the temporal relationship between the 2 diseases, in order to confirm data suggesting a close temporal relationship between the onset of SSc and malignancy in American patients with anti-RNAP III antibodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  From a cohort of 466 consecutive SSc patients, 360 Italians with isolated positivity for anti-RNAP III (n = 16), anti-topo I (n = 101), or ACA (n = 243) were identified. Malignancy cases were divided according to their relationship with SSc onset into 3 categories: preceding, synchronous with, or metachronous to the onset of SSc (diagnosed more than 6 months before; 6 months before to 12 months after; and more than 12 months after onset of SSc, respectively).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Malignancies were more frequent in the anti-RNAP III group (7/16 patients), than in the anti-topo I (11/101) and ACA groups (21/243) (p < 0.001). This difference was accounted for by the number of patients with cancer synchronous to the onset of SSc (3/16 in the anti-RNAP III group vs 0/101 in the anti-topo I and 1/243 in the ACA group; p < 0.001), whereas neither the number of malignancies preceding nor those metachronous to the onset of SSc was significantly different between the groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a cohort of Italian patients with SSc we observed a significant association between malignancies synchronous to SSc onset and positivity for anti-RNAP III antibodies, similar to that described in American patients with SSc.
authors: Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Service, Spedali Civili and University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy. airo@bresciareumatologia.it
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Airo'
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Ceribelli
authors: Ilaria
authors: I
authors: Cavazzana
authors: Mara
authors: M
authors: Taraborelli
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: Zingarelli
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Franceschini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000097:blood*; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000276:immunology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I / Q000276:immunology; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012320:RNA Polymerase III / Q000276:immunology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; C538950:anticentromere antibody; D012320:RNA Polymerase III; D004264:DNA Topoisomerases, Type I