Association between anti-synthetase syndrome and malignancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors' conclusion
The overall malignancy risk in ASyS appears low. Age and length of follow-up were associated with higher malignancy risk, whereas clinical manifestations were not. Although the malignancy rates differed between antibody subtypes, with the numerically highest prevalence in anti-OJ antibodies, these findings were not statistically significant.
Study context
- Population
- Adult anti-synthetase syndrome (ASyS) patients
- Participants
- 4,451 patients43 studies
- Outcome
- Pooled malignancy prevalence in ASyS
Methodological detailsPRISMA guidelines, PROSPERO protocol, random intercept logistic regression model, meta-regression, modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, GRADE
- PRISMA guidelines
- PROSPERO protocol
- Random intercept logistic regression model
- Meta-regression
- Modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale
- GRADE
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Pooled malignancy prevalence
Pooled malignancy prevalence
8.3%
95% CI 7.5–9.1%; I2 = 70%
Further pooled results
Factors associated with malignancy (meta-regression)
- Older age significantly associated with malignancy
- P = 0.018
- Longer follow-up significantly associated with malignancy
- P = 0.013
- No significant associations with anti-Jo-1 positivity or other clinical manifestations of ASyS
Malignancy prevalence by antibody subtype
- Numerically varied across subtypes, lowest anti-Jo-1
- 6.4%
- Numerically varied across subtypes, highest anti-OJ
- 13.3%
- Not statistically significant
Cancer types
- Breast, lung and colon cancer frequently reported
Original publication
Association between anti-synthetase syndrome and malignancy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 27 February 2026. doi:10.
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