Rheumatoid Arthritis and Risk of Malignant Lymphoma - Is the risk still increased?

• OBJECTIVE: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of malignant lymphomas with a strong correlation with RA disease severity. Given the changes in RA therapy over recent decades, we aimed at assessing whether lymphoma risk remains increased, and if so, to explore risk predictors and lymphoma subtypes.METHODS: We identified 12,656 incident RA patients from the Swedish Rheumatology Register 1997-2012 including information on therapy and inflammatory activity during the first year following diagnosis. Each patient was matched to 10 population comparator subjects. Through linkage to the Swedish Cancer Register, lymphomas including subtypes were identified. We assessed Hazard ratios (HRs) using Cox regression.RESULTS: Overall, the HR of lymphoma was increased, 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2-2.1. Taking RA duration into account, risks did not appear to have declined over successive calendar years of RA diagnosis. Neither use of methotrexate the 1(st) year following RA diagnosis nor ever use of TNF inhibitors (HR=0.9; 95% CI 0.4-1.9) increased lymphoma risk. Use of oral corticosteroids the 1(st) year following RA diagnosis was associated with a reduced risk (HR=0.6; 95% CI 0.5 -0.9). Inflammatory activity during the 1(st) year following RA diagnosis did not predict future lymphoma risk. Chronic lymphocytic lymphoma occurred less, and Hodgkin lymphoma more frequently than expected compared to the general population.CONCLUSION: The average lymphoma risk in recently diagnosed RA is of similar magnitude as that reported from historical cohorts. Standard anti-rheumatic treatment including TNF inhibitors did not predict future lymphoma risk. Distribution of lymphoma subtypes warrants further investigation.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Reumatologi och inflammation (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Rheumatology and Autoimmunity (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Klinisk laboratoriemedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Clinical Laboratory Medicine (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Patologi

Pathology

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)