Title: Erratum to: Increased risk of tumor in DM1 is not related to exposure to common lifestyle risk factors
Abstract: Recent studies documented an increased risk
of neoplasm in patients with myotonic dystrophies (DM).
Yet, none of these studies evaluated the contribution of
common cancer risk factors in such observation. In this
study, we included a cohort of patients (n = 255) with an
established molecular diagnosis of DM type 1 (DM1), and
who receives their treatment in one of the four centers
with recognized expertise in neuromuscular disorders in
Rome. We estimated the prevalence of benign and
malignant tumors, and assessed if lifestyle factors and/or
specific disease features would be associated to their
occurrence. Overall, 59 benign tumors in 54 patients and
19 malignant tumors in 17 patients were diagnosed. The
most common malignant neoplasms were cancers of the
skin (31.6 %), thyroid (21.0 %), ovary (10.5 %), and
breast (10.5 %). Uterine fibroid was the most common
benign tumor (37.6 %) in women, while pilomatricoma
was the most common in men (28.6 %). Age at enrollment
(OR = 1.02, 95 % CI 1.00–1.05), and female gender
(OR = 5.71, 95 % CI 2.90–11.22) were associated
with tumor development in DM1 patients, while thyroid
disorders was associated with malignant tumors only in
women (OR = 5.12, 95 % CI 1.35–19.37). There was no
association between tumor development and evaluated
lifestyle factors. In conclusion, the lack of association
between common cancer risk factors and tumor development
in DM1 support a pathogenic link between tumors
and DM1 itself, emphasizing the need for a systematic
surveillance. Our observation of an association between
thyroid diseases in women and cancer development needs
confirmation.