Inflammation link between rheumatoid arthritis and cancer

Inflammation link between rheumatoid arthritis and cancer

www.thecancerblog.com

Posted Feb 27th 2006 8:00AM by Dalene Entenmann
Filed under: Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, Prevention, Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm researchers believe they have found the factor that leads patients who suffer severe rheumatoid arthritis, RA, to be at higher risk of developing lymphoma cancer. After analyzing the national register of nearly 75,000 patients diagnosed with RA, they were able to conclude that prolonged inflammatory activity, not any RA treatments, seems to be the link between the two diseases.

Medium RA activity led to an 8-fold increase in the risk for lymphoma, while high RA activity led to a 70-fold increase in lymphoma cancer risk. In addition, RA patients suffered pronounced, irreversible joint damage in the hands, feet, and knees in the last year leading up to a lymphoma cancer diagnosis. The researchers reported lymphoma cancer risk was interestingly low among patients who had received frequent corticosteroid injections in inflamed joints, indicating a possible lymphoma-protective role of potent anti-inflammatory drugs. They are able to speculate that aggressive anti-inflammatory treatment may reduce the lymphoma cancer risk by reducing cumulative RA inflammation.