Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Linked to Increased Risk of Infections and Cancer
Wednesday May 17, 2006
Rheumatoid arthritis patients being treated with either Humira (adalimumab) or Remicade (infliximab) have three times the risk of developing certain cancers and twice the risk of developing serious infections. Mayo Clinic researchers, led by Eric Matteson, M.D. reported the study results in the May 17 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
What causes the increased risk of cancer and serious infection with TNF blocker use? What should patients and health care providers do with regard to the newest study results? Do the makers of Humira and Remicade agree with the published study results? Read more about Rheumatoid Arthritis Drugs Linked To Increased Risk of Infections And Cancer.
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- TNF Blockers (Enbrel, Remicade, Humira) - Test Your Knowledge
- Lymphoma in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
- Are Some Arthritis Patients Unsuitable Candidates For Biologic Drugs?
- Why is There Increased Infection Risk With TNF Blockers?
Photo of pneumococci (infection) © ADAM
Comments
The popular media, of course, will only announce that arthritis medications cause cancer without putting it in perspective. There will be little or no information about the fact that haveing RA in and of itself will increase the chances of having cancer. The various articles on the study don’t really discuss the patient populations studied. Did they have similar disease duration and severity; what other factors may have played a role in cancer developement? Also it doesn’t really address the statistics..when you are dealing with low single digit percentages, the differences are not really that signifigent. The increased level of infections have be known since the earliest studies. It is the number one warning on the patient information sheets. The information in the study is interesting and does bear further study, I am just not sure if the study has provided any real new information. I’ll be watching to see what other studies arise from this study. I do know that the benefit I receive, at this point in time, from my high dose remicade outweighs the risks.