Autoantibodies and Cancer Association: the Case of Systemic Sclerosis and Dermatomyositis

AbstractSeveral rheumatic diseases have a perplexing association with cancer. Unraveling this mysterious connection is likely to provide deeper understanding regarding mechanisms governing the onset of both autoimmunity and cancer immunity, in addition to providing clinicians much needed guidance around whom and when to screen for occult malignancy. Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) and dermatomyositis are two diseases in which the association with internal malignancy is well-described and can be considered as models from which to gain important insights that likely have broader applicability. The past 15 years have witnessed a striking acceleration in understanding how these two diseases are related to cancer emergence –an important crack in this inscrutable armor has been the discovery and characterization of disease-specific autoantigens that are closely tied with risk of cancer emergence. The best-described examples of this are antibodies against anti-RNA polymerase III (anti-POL3) and transcription intermedi ary factor 1-gamma (anti-TIF1γ). Patients with systemic sclerosis and cancer that are diagnosed within a short time interval of each other frequently have anti-POL3 antibodies. Antibodies against the minor spliceosome protein RNA-Binding Region Containing 3 (RNPC3) are also associated with increase d cancer incidence in systemic sclerosis. Similarly, in the dermatomyositis spectrum, the majority of anti-TIF1γ-associated cancers are detected around the time of DM o...
Source: Clinical Reviews in Allergy and Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research