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Recent studies show that patients with myotonic dystrophy (DM) have an increased risk of specific malignancies, but estimates of absolute cancer risk accounting for competing events are lacking. Using the Swedish Patient Registry, we identified 1,081 patients with an inpatient and/or outpatient diagnosis of DM between 1987 and 2007. Date and cause of death and date of cancer diagnosis were extracted from the Swedish Cause of Death and Cancer Registries. We calculated non-parametric estimates of absolute cancer risk and cancer mortality accounting for the high non-cancer competing mortality associated with DM. Absolute cancer risk after DM diagnosis was 1.6% (95% CI=0.4-4%), 5% (95% CI=3-9%) and 9% (95% CI=6-13%) at ages 40, 50 and 60 years, respectively. Females had a higher absolute risk of all cancers combined than males: 9% (95% CI=4-14), and 13% (95% CI=9-20) vs. 2% (95%CI= 0.7-6) and 4% (95%CI=2-8) by ages 50 and 60 years, respectively) and developed cancer at younger ages (median age =51 years, range=22-74 vs. 57, range=43-84, respectively, p=0.02). Cancer deaths accounted for 10% of all deaths, with an absolute cancer mortality risk of 2% (95%CI=1-4.5%), 4% (95%CI=2-6%), and 6% (95%CI=4-9%) by ages 50, 60, and 70 years, respectively. No gender difference in cancer-specific mortality was observed (p=0.6). In conclusion, cancer significantly contributes to morbidity and mortality in DM patients, even after accounting for high competing DM mortality from non-neoplastic causes. It is important to apply population-appropriate, validated cancer screening strategies in DM patients.

Context: Myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD) is an autosomal-dominant multisystem neuromuscular disorder characterized by unstable nucleotide repeat expansions. Case reports have suggested that MMD patients may be at increased risk of malignancy, putative risks that have never been quantified., Objective: To quantitatively evaluate cancer risk in patients with MMD, overall and by sex and age., Design, Setting, and Participants: We identified 1658 patients with an MMD discharge diagnosis in the Swedish Hospital Discharge Register or Danish National Patient Registry between 1977 and 2008. We linked these patients to their corresponding cancer registry. Patients were followed up from date of first MMD-related inpatient or outpatient contact to first cancer diagnosis, death, emigration, or completion of cancer registration., Main Outcome Measures: Risks of all cancers combined and by anatomic site, stratified by sex and age., Results: One hundred four patients with an inpatient or outpatient discharge diagnosis of MMD developed cancer during postdischarge follow-up. This corresponds to an observed cancer rate of 73.4 per 10,000 person-years in MMD vs an expected rate of 36.9 per 10,000 person-years in the general Swedish and Danish populations combined (standardized incidence ratio [SIR], 2.0; 95% CI, 1.6-2.4). Specifically, we observed significant excess risks of cancers of the endometrium (n = 11; observed rate, 16.1/10,000 person-years; SIR, 7.6; 95% CI, 4.0-13.2), brain (n = 7; observed rate, 4.9/10,000 person-years; SIR, 5.3; 95% CI, 2.3-10.4), ovary (n = 7; observed rate, 10.3/10,000 person-years; SIR, 5.2; 95% CI, 2.3-10.2), and colon (n = 10; observed rate, 7.1/10,000 person-years; SIR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.5-5.1). Cancer risks were similar in women and men after excluding genital organ tumors (SIR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4-2.5, vs SIR, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.3-2.5, respectively; P = .81 for heterogeneity; observed rates, 64.5 and 47.7 per 10,000 person-years in women and men, respectively). The same pattern of cancer excess was observed first in the Swedish and then in the Danish cohorts, which were studied sequentially and initially analyzed independently., Conclusion: Patients with MMD identified from the Swedish and Danish patient registries were at increased risk of cancer both overall and for selected anatomic sites.

Purpose: Genetic factors are important in the etiology and pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL), and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Only a few small studies have assessed clinical characteristics and prognosis for familial patients, with inconsistent findings., Methods: Using population-based registries from Sweden and Denmark, 7,749 patients with CLL, 7,476 patients with HL, and 25,801 patients with NHL with linkable first-degree relatives were identified. Kaplan-Meier curves were constructed to compare survival in patients with lymphoma with and without a family history of lymphoma. The risk of dying was assessed using adjusted Cox proportional hazard models., Results: We found 85 patients with CLL (1.10%), 95 patients with HL (1.28%), and 206 patients with NHL (0.80%) with a family history of any lymphoma. Five-year mortality was similar for patients with CLL (hazard ratio [HR], 1.28; 95% CI, 0.95 to 1.72), HL (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.49 to 1.25), and NHL (HR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.74 to 1.12) versus without a family history of any lymphoma. Mortality was also similar for patients with versus without a family history of the same lymphoma. T-cell/anaplastic lymphoma patients with a family history of NHL had poorer outcome 5-years after diagnosis (HR, 5.38; 95% CI, 1.65 to 17.52). Results were similar for 10 years of follow-up., Conclusion: With the exception of T-cell/anaplastic lymphoma, survival patterns for patients with CLL, HL, and NHL with a family history of lymphoma were similar to those for sporadic patients, suggesting that most familial lymphomas do not have an altered clinical course. Our findings provide no evidence to modify therapeutic strategies for patients with CLL, HL, or NHL based solely on family history.

With the rationale that a significant reduction of the malignant clone in CML might prolong time to metamorphosis, intensive treatment was given to patients < or = 55 years. Six months of hydroxyurea and high dose interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) was followed by one to three courses of intensive chemotherapy. Patients who had a donor were allotransplanted and patients who became Ph-negative in bone marrow were autotransplanted. On 1 May 1995, 160 patients were registered in the study. Fifty-one percent of the patients who received six months IFN-alpha and hydroxyurea had a significant Ph-reduction and 5% became Ph-negative. The corresponding figures after two intensive chemotherapy courses were 47 and 28%, respectively. Twenty-seven of 30 autotransplanted patients have been analysed for Ph. Seventeen have relapsed cytogenetically, while ten are Ph-negative 1-64 + months after ABMT. BMT was performed in 59 patients. The actuarial 6-year survival from diagnosis of all 160 registered patients is 68%, which seems to be better than for age-matched historical controls.