Lung, liver, prostate, bladder malignancies risk in systemic lupus erythematosus: evidence from a meta-analysis

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to examine some solid tumors incidence in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) derived from population-based cohort studies by means of meta-analysis. Relevant electronic databases were searched for studies characterizing the associated risk of overall malignancy and four site-specific malignancies (lung, liver, prostate, bladder cancer) in patients with SLE. The meta-analysis procedure was used to pool standardized incidence rates (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the association. A total of seven cohort studies were identified, of which six provided the SIR for overall malignancy, seven reported the SIR for lung cancer, five for liver cancer, four for prostate cancer and six for bladder cancer. Overall, lung and liver cancers were more frequently observed in patients with SLE with SIR of 1.16 (95% CI = 1.12-1.21), 1.68 (95% CI = 1.33-2.13) and 2.44 (95% CI = 1.46-4.05), respectively. However, the risk of prostate cancer appeared to be somewhat reduced in male patients with SLE (SIR = 0.71, 95% CI = 0.57-0.89). This meta-analysis shows that SLE patients are at increased risk of developing cancer, particularly of the lung, bladder and liver. However, males with SLE have a decreased risk of prostate cancer.