What is the relationship between rheumatic disease and malignancy?
It is uncommon for a rheumatic disease to mimic malignancy. However, rheumatic syndromes have been associated with various malignancies, and patients with preexisting CTD have malignancies. The majority of rheumatic syndromes associated with malignancies do not demonstrate significant causal relationships. Therefore, it is not recommended or cost effective to have an extensive search for occult malignancy with common rheumatic syndromes.
