Neoplasia in rheumatoid arthritis patients using a biological agent in an autoimmune diseases unit

Abstract

Objective: There have been some concerns surrounding a possible association between Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), malignancies and the use of biologic response modifiers (BRM). The risk of malignancy seems to be related to the degree and duration of inflammation in RA patients and increased age appears to be an additional risk factor. A decade after the introduction of BRM we analyzed our patients with RA under BRM to assess the prevalence of neoplasias and the need for better screening processes, by comparing patients with RA and neoplasia under BRM therapies with those with neoplasia under traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs.