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Cancer screenings for patients with rheumatoid arthritis comparable to general population
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Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were regularly screened for cervical, breast and colon cancer at rates comparable to patients without the disease and similar to patients with hypertension, a study has reported.
Researchers used data from a US commercial health insurance plan to analyze three cohorts during a 7.5-year period: 13,314 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (mean age, 51.8 years), 131,989 patients without RA (mean age, 47.8 years) and 80,335 patients with hypertension (mean age, 61.4 years). Mean follow-up ranged from 2.33 years to 2.54 years.
The researchers estimated:
- 70% to 80% of all women aged 18 to 69 years would have at least one Pap test every 3 years.
- 60% percent of women (aged 40 years and older) without RA or with hypertension and 70% of women with RA would have at least one mammogram every other year.
- 70% of patients (aged 50 years and older) with and without RA and 61% of patients with hypertension would undergo a colonoscopy every 10 years.
Women with RA were more likely to receive at least one Pap test (HR=1.21; 95% CI, 1.17-1.24), mammogram (HR=1.49; 95% CI, 1.45-1.53) and colonoscopy (HR=1.69, 95% CI, 1.61-1.77) compared with women without RA, based on an age-adjusted Cox regression model. Men with RA were more inclined than the other cohorts to undergo colonoscopy (HR=1.52; 95% CI, 1.40-1.64).
“The majority of both RA and non-RA patients appeared to be screened on a regular basis suggested by the current recommendations, although the results may not be generalizable to those without medical insurance,” researchers concluded. “Continuous efforts should be made to improve and maintain both patients’ and physicians’ awareness of the importance of preventive health services in patients with chronic disease such as RA.”
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant disclosures.
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