Anti-RNAP3+ patients with SSc have a high risk of concomitant malignancy. These results have implications for clinical practice and suggest regular screening for cancer in anti-RNAP3+ patients.

Physical training started 2-3 weeks following an acute exacerbation of the disease seems to be useful and safe. Some improvement in muscle strength and respiratory function can be obtained, muscle atrophy due to inactivity may be partially prevented and the level of disability can be decreased.

In addition to the well-known factors influencing the outcome (diffuse subset, internal organ involvements, and inflammatory signs), the coexistence of scleroderma with a malignancy also causes a poor outcome.

Although more common in women, SSc appears as strikingly more severe in men. Our results obtained through the largest worldwide database demonstrate a higher risk of severe cardiovascular involvement in men. These results raise the point of including sex in the management and the decision-making process.

This is the largest cohort to date focusing on the prevalence of anti-Ku antibodies in patients with SSc. The case-control approach was able to demonstrate a clinically distinct subset of anti-Ku positive patients with SSc with only relative clinical differences in skeletal features. However, the notable exceptions were signs of myositis. This shows the importance of anti-Ku antibody detection for the prediction of this specific clinical subset.