Buchbinder R et al. - Compared with the general population, methotrexate-treated RA patients have an increased incidence of melanoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and lung cancer. Therefore skin cancer screening is recommended for RA pts receiving immunosuppressive therapy. Methods
Aim was to determine cancer risk in 459 RA pts treated with MTX
Demographic data of RA pts on MTX were matched to the State Cancer Registry to identify all malignancies and to the National Death Index to identify all deaths
F/u started on MTX start date and ended either on the date patient was last seen by rheumatologist or at death
Results
There were 4,145 person-years of f/u
87 malignancies were identified
There was an estimated 50% excess risk of malignancy among MTX-exposed RA pts relative to the general population
There was a 3-fold increase in melanoma, a 5-fold increase in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and an almost 3-fold increase in lung cancer
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