The New RA Treatment Does Not Lower Risk of Lymphoma
Progress in the treatment of RA does not appear to have affected the risk of lymphoma. A large-scale study of data gathered from the Swedish Health Registry indicates that the risk of lymphoma remains high in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), despite treatment progress.
Main results
- The risk of lymphoma was 60% higher in patients with RA compared to control patients and did not decrease over time: 62 cases of lymphoma (78 cases per 100,000 person-years) were observed in patients with RA compared with 380 cases of lymphoma (49 cases per 100,000 person-years) in control patients.
- The average lymphoma risk in recently diagnosed RA is of similar magnitude as that reported from historical cohorts.
Design of the study
- Records of 12 656 RA patients from the Swedish Rheumatology Register and Swedish Cancer Register were compared with control patients for the incidence of lymphoma over time.
Why is this important?
Despite the undisputed great progress in RA treatment, it does not appear to have affected the risk of lymphoma.
Reference
Hellgren, K., Baecklund, E., Backlin, C., Sundstrom, C., Smedby, K. E. and Askling, J. (2016), Rheumatoid Arthritis and Risk of Malignant Lymphoma – Is the risk still increased?. Arthritis & Rheumatology. Accepted Author Manuscript. doi:10.1002/art.40017
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Tags: rheumatoid arthritis