Impact of Anti-TNF Therapy on Cancer Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Previous Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): W G Dixon, K D Watson, M Lunt, L K Mercer, K L Hyrich, D P M Symmons
Primary Institution: The University of Manchester
Hypothesis
Does anti-TNF therapy influence the incidence of cancer in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have had a prior malignancy?
Conclusion
Anti-TNF therapy does not increase the risk of incident malignancy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and prior malignancy.
Supporting Evidence
- The anti-TNF cohort had a lower rate of incident malignancy compared to the DMARD cohort.
- Only 3 out of 17 patients with prior melanomas in the anti-TNF cohort developed an incident malignancy.
Takeaway
This study found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis who had cancer before did not have a higher chance of getting cancer again when treated with anti-TNF therapy.
Methodology
The study analyzed data from the British Society for Rheumatology Biologics Register, comparing cancer incidence in anti-TNF-treated patients and those treated with traditional DMARDs.
Potential Biases
Potential selection bias due to clinicians' treatment decisions based on the prognosis of prior malignancies.
Limitations
The study's findings may be influenced by selection bias and the low number of incident malignancies.
Participant Demographics
The anti-TNF cohort was younger, had more women, and more severe disease compared to the DMARD cohort.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.58
Confidence Interval
0.23–1.43
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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