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Cancer risk in patients with spondyloarthritis treated with TNF inhibitors : A collaborative study from the ARTIS and DANBIO registers

Hellgren, Karin ; Dreyer, Lene ; Arkema, Elizabeth V. ; Glintborg, Bente ; Jacobsson, Lennart T H ; Kristensen, Lars Erik LU ; Feltelius, Nils ; Hetland, Merete Lund and Askling, Johan (2017) In Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 76(1). p.105-111
Abstract

Background Safety data on cancer risks following tumour necrosis factor a inhibitors (TNFi) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) (here defined as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), undifferentiated spondarthropaties (SpA UNS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA)) are scarce. Our objective was to assess risks for cancer overall and for common subtypes in patients with SpA treated with TNFi compared with TNFi-naïve patients with SpA and to the general population. Methods From the Swedish (Anti-Rheumatic Therapy in Sweden (ARTIS)) and Danish (DANBIO) biologics registers, we assembled 8703 (ARTIS=5448, DANBIO=3255) patients with SpA initiating a first TNFi 2001-2011. From the Swedish National Patient and Population Registers we assembled a TNFi-naïve... (More)

Background Safety data on cancer risks following tumour necrosis factor a inhibitors (TNFi) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) (here defined as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), undifferentiated spondarthropaties (SpA UNS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA)) are scarce. Our objective was to assess risks for cancer overall and for common subtypes in patients with SpA treated with TNFi compared with TNFi-naïve patients with SpA and to the general population. Methods From the Swedish (Anti-Rheumatic Therapy in Sweden (ARTIS)) and Danish (DANBIO) biologics registers, we assembled 8703 (ARTIS=5448, DANBIO=3255) patients with SpA initiating a first TNFi 2001-2011. From the Swedish National Patient and Population Registers we assembled a TNFi-naïve SpA cohort (n=28,164) and a Swedish age-matched and sex-matched general population comparator cohort (n=131 687). We identified incident cancers by linkage with the nationwide Swedish and Danish Cancer Registers 2001-2011, and calculated age-standardised and sex-standardised incidence ratios as measures of relative risk (RR). Results Based on 1188 cancers among the TNFi-naïve patients with SpA, RR of cancer overall was 1.1 (95% CI 1.0 to 1.2). Based on 147 cancers among TNFi initiators with SpA, RR versus TNFi-naïve was 0.8 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.0) and results were similar for AS and PsA when analysed separately. Site-specific cancer RRs: prostate 0.5 (95% CI 0.3 to 0.8), lung 0.6 (95% CI 0.3 to 1.3), colorectal 1.0 (95% CI 0.5 to 2.0), breast 1.3 (95% CI 0.9 to 2.0), lymphoma 0.8 (95% CI 0.4 to 1.8) and melanoma 1.4 (95% CI 0.7 to 2.6). Conclusions In patients with SpA, treatment with TNFi was not associated with increased risks of cancer, neither overall nor for the six most common cancer types.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
volume
76
issue
1
pages
105 - 111
publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:84966429172
  • pmid:27147709
  • wos:000392425200015
ISSN
0003-4967
DOI
10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-209270
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
7058b9e2-0610-42bf-a262-0ab39a4ae472
date added to LUP
2016-06-01 16:27:48
date last changed
2024-04-19 05:03:22
@article{7058b9e2-0610-42bf-a262-0ab39a4ae472,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background Safety data on cancer risks following tumour necrosis factor a inhibitors (TNFi) in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) (here defined as ankylosing spondylitis (AS), undifferentiated spondarthropaties (SpA UNS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA)) are scarce. Our objective was to assess risks for cancer overall and for common subtypes in patients with SpA treated with TNFi compared with TNFi-naïve patients with SpA and to the general population. Methods From the Swedish (Anti-Rheumatic Therapy in Sweden (ARTIS)) and Danish (DANBIO) biologics registers, we assembled 8703 (ARTIS=5448, DANBIO=3255) patients with SpA initiating a first TNFi 2001-2011. From the Swedish National Patient and Population Registers we assembled a TNFi-naïve SpA cohort (n=28,164) and a Swedish age-matched and sex-matched general population comparator cohort (n=131 687). We identified incident cancers by linkage with the nationwide Swedish and Danish Cancer Registers 2001-2011, and calculated age-standardised and sex-standardised incidence ratios as measures of relative risk (RR). Results Based on 1188 cancers among the TNFi-naïve patients with SpA, RR of cancer overall was 1.1 (95% CI 1.0 to 1.2). Based on 147 cancers among TNFi initiators with SpA, RR versus TNFi-naïve was 0.8 (95% CI 0.7 to 1.0) and results were similar for AS and PsA when analysed separately. Site-specific cancer RRs: prostate 0.5 (95% CI 0.3 to 0.8), lung 0.6 (95% CI 0.3 to 1.3), colorectal 1.0 (95% CI 0.5 to 2.0), breast 1.3 (95% CI 0.9 to 2.0), lymphoma 0.8 (95% CI 0.4 to 1.8) and melanoma 1.4 (95% CI 0.7 to 2.6). Conclusions In patients with SpA, treatment with TNFi was not associated with increased risks of cancer, neither overall nor for the six most common cancer types.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hellgren, Karin and Dreyer, Lene and Arkema, Elizabeth V. and Glintborg, Bente and Jacobsson, Lennart T H and Kristensen, Lars Erik and Feltelius, Nils and Hetland, Merete Lund and Askling, Johan}},
  issn         = {{0003-4967}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{105--111}},
  publisher    = {{BMJ Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases}},
  title        = {{Cancer risk in patients with spondyloarthritis treated with TNF inhibitors : A collaborative study from the ARTIS and DANBIO registers}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-209270}},
  doi          = {{10.1136/annrheumdis-2016-209270}},
  volume       = {{76}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}