American epidemiologists and statisticians sought to better understand the risk of developing cancer in a population with myotonic dystrophy (MD), primarily Steinert’s disease (type 1 MD or MD1).
- Medical data from 1,229 individuals in the North American MD STARnet registry were analyzed.
- During the 12-year observation period, cancer was diagnosed in 52 individuals.
- People with MD1 had a four times higher risk than the general population of developing thyroid neoplasia and an eighteen times higher risk of developing skin cancer (excluding melanoma).
- Among individuals with DM2, there was a higher prevalence of breast cancer.
This cancer risk was already known in patients with DM, but this study provides a better understanding of the significance of this predisposition.
