<h4>Background</h4>The details of two rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who were administered tocilizumab, an anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, are reported, along with a review of the literature.<h4>Case presentation</h4>Two RA patients with SSc with inadequate responses to disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) were given tocilizumab 162 mg every 2 weeks for 18 months. This evidence concerns the gene IL6R and systemic sclerosis.