Surprisingly, anti-TIF1-positive myositis patients (n = 17), who are more likely to develop cancer, had lower levels of S100A4 than anti-TIF1-negative ones (n = 87) (17.1 (11.3 to 25.1) versus 36.6 (21.8 to 66.7) ng/ml, P = 0.001). This evidence concerns the gene S100A4 and myositis disease.