This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Malignancy incidence greater among spondylarthritis patients treated with anti-TNF drugs
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Patients with spondylarthritis who were treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor tended to have greater incidence of malignancy when compared with the rate among the Belgian population, according to recent study results.
Researchers in Belgium conducted a single-center prospective study from September 2000 to March 2010 of 231 patients (mean age, 47.86 years; 68% men) with spondylarthritis (SpA) who had begun treatment with one or more anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs. Incidence rate of malignancy in Belgium, as documented by the Belgian Cancer registry, was used as a control to compare incidence of malignancy in SpA patients who started anti-TNF therapy.
There were 1,024.74 patient-years of treatment and 1,199.83 patient-years of follow-up after treatment initiation. One hundred three patients (44.6%) had been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, and 128 patients (55.4%) were diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis.
Malignancy occurred in six patients (2.6%) after beginning anti-TNF treatment (infliximab, etanercept or etanercept plus adalimumab), with an overall malignancy incidence rate of 500.1 per 100,000 patient-years that exceeded the rate among the Belgian population. Women had a slightly higher standardized incidence ratio compared with men (154.3 vs. 130.6, respectively).
“We report a tendency toward a higher incidence of malignancy in SpA patients that are treated with anti-TNF therapy with incidence rates that are higher in females, consistent with available demographic evidence in the Belgian population in 2008,” the researchers concluded.
“It is not clear whether this increased risk is disease-related or treatment-related. Current data might help in guiding clinicians to make weighted decisions while treating their severe SpA patients.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts