[Risk of malignancies in celiac disease--a retrospective study]

A review of 52 patients with celiac disease showed the development of malignant tumors in eight cases (15%). The following malignomas were diagnosed: one malignant lymphoma, one multiple myeloma, one rhabdomyosarcoma, one carcinoma of the uterus, one carcinoma of the sigmoid colon and three adenocarcinomas of the small bowel. Patients with tumors showed significantly lower hemoglobin, lower serum albumin, and higher sedimentation rates than patients without tumors. The possibility of underlying malignoma must always be considered in all patients with newly diagnosed coeliac disease and in patients where symptoms of a known celiac disease change without alteration of the prescribed diet.