Cancer Risk and Mortality in Hospitalized Patients With Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies in Western Australia

Abstract

ObjectiveTo compare cancer incidence, type, and survival between patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) in Western Australia (WA) and the general population.MethodsAdministrative health data for hospitalized patients with incident IIM (n = 803, 56.5% female, median age 62.0 yrs), classified by a validated algorithm as polymyositis (PM; 36.2%), dermatomyositis (DM; 27.4%), inclusion body myositis (IBM; 17.1%), overlap myositis (OM; 10.7%), and other IIM (8.6%), were linked to WA cancer and death registries for the period of 1980 to 2014. Cancer incidence rates (CIRs) before and after IIM diagnosis as well as cancer mortality were compared with age-, sex-, and calendar year–matched controls (n = 3225, 54.9% female, median age 64 yrs) by rate ratios (RRs) and Kaplan-Meier survival estimates.ResultsThe prediagnosis CIR was similar for patients with IIM and controls (6.57 vs 5.95; RR 1.11, 95% CI 0.88-1.39) and for patients evolving to DM (n = 220) or other IIM subtypes (6.59 vs 6.56; RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.38-3.69). During follow-up, CIR was higher for all DM (4.05, 95% CI 3.04-5.29), with increased CIR for lung cancer vs controls (1.05 vs 0.33; RR 3.18, 95% CI 1.71-5.47). Cancer post diagnosis shortened life span by 59 months for patients with IIM (103 vs 162 months,P< 0.01), but reduced survival rates were observed only in patients with DM and IBM.ConclusionCancer risk was not increased prior to IIM, but CIR for lung cancer was increased following DM diagnosis. As cancer reduced survival only in patients with DM and IBM, these data support a strategy of limited cancer screening in IIM.