Cancer Risk in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Author Information
Author(s): Sasha Bernatsky, Ramsey-Goldman R, Foulkes W D, Gordon C, Clarke A E
Primary Institution: McGill University Health Centre
Hypothesis
What is the risk of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers in women with systemic lupus erythematosus compared to the general population?
Conclusion
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus have a decreased risk of breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancers.
Supporting Evidence
- The total number of cancers observed was less than that expected.
- SIRs for breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers were 0.76, 0.71, and 0.66 respectively.
- Data suggest that inherent differences in women with SLE may contribute to the decreased cancer risk.
Takeaway
Women with a disease called lupus are less likely to get certain types of cancers compared to other women.
Methodology
Data were included from five recent studies of large SLE cohorts, and the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was calculated for observed versus expected cancers.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to varying cancer profiles influenced by race and the inclusion of patients with previous cancer histories.
Limitations
The study did not stratify cancer risk by race and did not include wash-out periods.
Participant Demographics
The cohort included 47,325 SLE patients, with 42,171 being female.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
{"breast_cancer":"95% CI: 0.69, 0.85","endometrial_cancer":"95% CI: 0.55, 0.91","ovarian_cancer":"95% CI: 0.49, 0.90"}
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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