Introduction/Aims Myotonic dystrophies (DMs) are autosomal dominant diseases in which expression of a mutant expanded repeat mRNA leads to abnormal splicing of downstream effector genes thought to be responsible for their multisystem involvement. Cancer risk and cancer‐related deaths are increased in DM patients relative to the general population. We aimed at determining the frequency and type of cancers in both DM1 and DM2 vs a non‐DM muscular dystrophy cohort. Methods A retrospective, cross‐sectional study was carried out on patients with genetically confirmed DM1, DM2, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD), and oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) at our institutions from 2000 to 2020. Results One hundred eighty‐five DM1, 67 DM2, 187 FSHD, and 109 OPMD patients were included. Relative to non‐DM, DM patients had an increased cancer risk that was independent of age and sex. Specifically, an increased risk of sex‐related (ovarian) and non–sex‐related (non‐melanoma skin, urological, and hematological) cancers was observed in DM1 and DM2, respectively. The length of CTG repeat expansion was not associated with cancer occurrence in the DM1 group. Discussion In addition to current consensus‐based care recommendations, our findings prompt consideration of screening for skin, urological, and hematological cancers in DM2 patients, and screening of ovarian malignancies in DM1 female patients.

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Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), have demonstrated efficacy treating a number of acute conditions, encompassing a broad range of symptoms and syndromes, in addition to being first-line treatment for epilepsy. Clinically, since their inception, AEDs have been used off-label for acute and chronic medical conditions, both as primary and as adjuvant therapies. In this review, we describe the observed clinical effectiveness of AEDs across a set of commonly encountered acute conditions in the general hospital: traumatic brain injury, pain, alcohol withdrawal. In describing the individual benefits and usages of specific agents, the applicability of these agents to other common neuropsychiatric conditions may be further explored.