Carcinoma of the breast and scleroderma

A. Kessinger, H. M. Lemon, J. F. Foley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

2 Scopus citations

Abstract

The English literature has recorded nine cases of breast carcinoma in patients who also had or subsequently developed scleroderma. Most of these cases are poorly documented and are not suitable for analysis. The authors treated a patient with scleroderma and breast adenocarcinoma. The 9 cases of scleroderma and breast cancer reported mostly are not documented well enough to make an assessment of temporal occurrences. Thus one can only speculate as to whether malignancy provokes scleroderma, scleroderma provokes malignancy, or the diseases are unrelated and occur together coincidentally. Since the combination has been reported rarely, the possibility also exists that scleroderma protects a patient from carcinoma of the breast. Scleroderma has a higher incidence rate than dermatomyositis, and women are affected three times more frequently than men. The incidence of carcinoma of the breast in women is now 72/100,000 in the USA. A concurrent incidence rate of scleroderma has not been recorded; however, a total of 9 reported cases of scleroderma and breast cancer may not be coincidence but may actually reflect a protective effect of scleroderma from breast cancer.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)186-188
Number of pages3
JournalNEB.MED.J.
Volume58
Issue number6
StatePublished - 1973

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

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