Approved Research

Dissecting the relationships between autoimmune rheumatic diseases and cancer

Lay summary

All efforts are expected to be finished in the next 36 months. In this project, we aim to comprehensively investigate the risk of incident cancer and survival in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and the risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in patients with a history of cancer. We also evaluate the association between autoimmune rheumatic diseases and cancer survival. Furthermore, we dissect the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the observed association, including shared genetic architecture, environmental determinants, medical treatments of autoimmune rheumatic diseases as well as dysregulated immune function. Our project is expected to deeply dissect the relationship between autoimmune rheumatic diseases and cancer, which may guide individual for risk stratification more accurately for improving prevention and treatment of rheumatic diseases and cancer.

Scope extension:

1.To investigate the risk of incident cancer in patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, and the risk of autoimmune rheumatic diseases in patients with a history of cancer.

2.To examine whether patients who have two or more autoimmune rheumatic diseases/cancer are at a higher increase of cancer/autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

3.To evaluate the association between autoimmune rheumatic diseases and cancer survival.

4.Dissecting the underlying mechanisms that contribute to these observed associations, including shared genetic architecture, environmental determinants, therapies as well as dysregulated immune function.

5. To identify the risk determinants for cancer and autoimmune rheumatic diseases.