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Scientific Oral Presentation

Comprehensive Otolaryngology

Increased Head and Neck Cancer Incidence of Dermatomyositis Patients in the United States

Sunday, October 18, 2026
8:42 AM - 8:48 AM PT
Location: 501AC

    Presenting Author(s)

  • CB

    Cassie Bowers, BS

    Medical Student
    Howard University College of Medicine
    Washington DC, District of Columbia, United States

    • Co-Author(s)

  • GH

    Gianna Haskin, BS

    Medical Student
    Howard University College of Medicine, United States

  • Jonathan Vuillier, BS

    Medical Student
    Howard University College of Medicine
    Washington, District of Columbia, United States

  • Adedoyin Kalejaiye, MD

    Chief Division of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery
    Howard University College of Medicine
    Washington , District of Columbia, United States

    • Senior Author(s)

  • Joseph M. Curry, MD

    Professor
    Thomas Jefferson University
    Wynnewood, PA, United States

Disclosure(s):
Joseph M. Curry, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Dermatomyositis (DM) is a rare autoimmune condition that has been associated with increased risk of malignancy, including Head and Neck cancers (HNC). While there is an association between DM and HNC in Ebstein-Barr virus (EBV) endemic areas, temporal incidence patterns of HNC among patients with DM in non-EBV endemic areas, such as the United States (US), remain underexplored.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study using the TriNetX US Collaborative Network Database. Patients aged ≥18 years with DM (ICD-10-CM: M33 – M33.99) were identified. Patients with a Polymyositis diagnosis were excluded from the study (ICD-10-CM: M33.2). Incidence of HNC cases was defined using ICD-10-CM codes for each anatomic subsite: C00–C14 (lip, oral cavity, pharynx), C30 (nasal cavity/middle ear), C31 (accessory sinuses), C32 (larynx), and C76.0 (Head, Face, and Neck). Annual incidence rates were calculated per 100,000 person-years for 2017–2024 and then compared to the previously published national average of HNC for the general population from 2017-2020. A lookback period was set to ensure that HNC had not previously occurred in each patient.

Results: Among 26,114 patients with DM in this US database, annual HNC incidence rates ranged from 51.6 per 100,000 person-years to 98.3 per 100,000 person-years, with an average of 76.7 per 100,000 person-years between 2017 and 2020. Compared with the general population reference rate of 11.4 per 100,000 person-years, patients with DM had almost 7 times the risk of HNC (IRR = 6.73).

Conclusions: Patients with DM exhibit a higher incidence of HNC when compared to the national reported incidence rates of HNC in the US (76.7 vs 11.4 per 100,000 person-years). These findings support the need for targeted malignancy surveillance for HNC in DM populations in the US.