Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Boosts Melanoma... ( Patients treated with methotrexate ha...)

Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Boosts Melanoma Incidence

Date:6/20/2008

Patients treated with methotrexate had a threefold increased risk of disease, report says

FRIDAY, June 20 (HealthDay News) -- Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients treated with methotrexate have an increased incidence of melanoma and other cancers, an Australian study says.

Methotrexate (MTX) is a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD) commonly prescribed to RA patients. A link between the drug and cancer has been suggested, and there are even concerns that the drug itself may be carcinogenic, but research examining this concern has proven inconclusive.

This new study included 459 RA patients (309 women, 150 men) who started treatment with MTX prior to June 1986. During a total of 4,273 person-years of follow up (an average of 9.3 years per patient), 87 cancers were identified.

The researchers found that the RA patients who received MTX were 50 percent more likely than people in the general population to develop cancer of any kind. In terms of specific cancers, the RA patients had more than a fivefold increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a threefold increased risk of melanoma, and almost a threefold increased risk of lung cancer.

The increased risk levels for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and lung cancer were similar to the findings of studies in Europe and in the United States. However, the increased risk for melanoma identified in this study was new.

"This study is, to our knowledge, the first to report an increased risk of melanoma in patients with RA treated with MTX compared with the general population," lead author Dr. Rachelle Buchbinder said in a prepared statement.

"Futher investigation is needed to determine whether this risk is unique to Australia and what role MTX, immunosuppression per se, and/or environmental factors such as exposure to UV radiation play in its development," she said. "Our findings, taken together with other studies investigating the risk of skin cancer in
'/>"/>

0

GOOD

Page: 1 2
Related medicine news :

1. Biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and the risk of cancer
2. Genes Boost Risk for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus
3. The genes involved in rheumatoid arthritis identified
4. Genome Area Linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis
5. Meditation therapy for rheumatoid arthritis patients
6. Meditation May Help Rheumatoid Arthritis Sufferers
7. Researchers identify genes that increase rheumatoid arthritis risk
8. The widening mortality gap between people with rheumatoid arthritis and the general population
9. Rheumatoid Arthritis Death Rate Unchanged
10. Drugs Can Ease Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
11. Rheumatoid Arthritis Boosts Heart Disease Threat

Post Your Comments:

Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Boosts Melanoma...( Patients treated with methotrexate ha...),Health