A new cohort study reveals patients with primary Sjögren’s disease face more than triple the risk of developing cancer compared to the general population.
Among 323 patients followed in a Turkish rheumatology clinic, 9% had a history of malignancy-19 solid tumors (most commonly breast cancer) and 10 hematological cancers. The standardized incidence ratio for all cancers was 3.3.
The risk spike was most dramatic for blood cancers: leukemia and lymphoma showed a standardized incidence ratio of 22.5. Female patients faced a 3.8-fold higher risk of breast cancer.
Strikingly, close relatives of patients also showed elevated cancer rates. Of 1,750 relatives, 43.3% had at least one family member with cancer, yielding a standardized incidence ratio of 3.5.
Cancer risk did not correlate with typical Sjögren’s markers like autoantibodies or dryness severity-but it did rise significantly when a relative had cancer, suggesting shared genetic or immune-related susceptibility.
Clinicians are urged to enhance cancer surveillance in Sjögren’s patients and routinely assess family history.