Autoimmune and malignant diseases secondary to autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by modeling substances (ASIA-MS): A short communication of a clinical case series.

[INTRODUCTION] Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by modeling substances (ASIA-MS) is a health problem in many countries. Chronic immune activation caused by these substances has been implicated not only in autoimmune disease development but, in rare cases, also in malignancy.

[MATERIALS AND METHODS] A descriptive, retrospective and cross-sectional study was conducted, including 111 patients with ASIA-MS. Demographic, clinical, and immunological variables were collected, and the presence of autoimmune diseases and neoplasms was evaluated.

[RESULTS] The 9.9% developed well-defined autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hyperthyroidism, and sarcoidosis) and 7.2% developed malignancies (lymphoma, breast cancer, melanoma, chondrosarcoma, intestinal adenocarcinoma, and ovarian cancer).

[CONCLUSION] Although a causal relationship cannot be inferred due to the study design, these findings suggest a possible association between chronic immune stimulation induced by modeling substances and the subsequent development of autoimmunity or malignancy.