title: Excessive risk of cancer and in particular lymphoid malignancy in myasthenia gravis patients: a population-based cohort study.
abstract: The exact relationship between myasthenia gravis (MG) and extrathymic malignancies has not been established thus far. Occasional cases of MG have been reported in association with lymphoma or other lymphoproliferative disorders. To determine the risk of extrathymic malignancy with particular attention on lymphoid malignancy for MG patients in a large cohort representing 99% of the Taiwan population, claims data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database were used to conduct retrospective cohort analyses. The study cohort comprised 3671 MG patients who were 10-fold frequency matched by age and sex, and assigned the same index year without MG. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was conducted to estimate the risk of cancer. The MG cohort had a 1.74-fold increased risk of developing cancer compared to the comparison cohort (HR=1.74, 95% CI=1.47-2.05). After adjusting for confounders and relative to the cohort, patients with MG had a 2.27-fold increased risk of developing lymphoid malignancies (HR=2.27, 95% CI=1.06-4.88) and a 118.47-fold increased risk of thymus cancer (HR=118.47, 95%=42.57-329.71). This population based retrospective case-control study confirms and extends previous observations on the association between MG and lymphoid malignancies.
authors: Department of Neurology, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors: Jiann-Horng
authors: JH
authors: Yeh
authors: Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors: Che-Chen
authors: CC
authors: Lin
authors: Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors: Yen-Kung
authors: YK
authors: Chen
authors: Management Office for Health Data, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine Science and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors: Fung-Chang
authors: FC
authors: Sung
authors: Department of Neurology, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan; School of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
authors: Hou-Chang
authors: HC
authors: Chiu
authors: Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine Science and School of Medicine, College of Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan; Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan. Electronic address: d10040@mail.cmuh.org.tw.
authors: Chia-Hung
authors: CH
authors: Kao
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009157:Myasthenia Gravis / Q000150:complications*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan; D013953:Thymus Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Leukemia; Lymphoma; Myasthenia gravis; Thymic carcinoma; Thymus cancer