Cyclophosphamide May Increase Cancer Risk Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

A large study conducted in Canada reveals that patients who are treated for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with the drug cyclophosphamide may have an increased risk for developing hematological cancers such as lymphoma.

There is no cure for RA, though proper treatment can control symptoms and allow patients to lead long, productive lives. There are several treatments for this disease.

Cyclophosphamide is an immunosuppressive drug commonly used to treat not only RA but also certain types of cancer.

Research has been done and in this study researchers recruited 23,810 patients with RA between 1980 and 2003. The focus of the study was to determine if anti-rheumatic drugs were associated with risk for cancers of the blood or lymph systems.

619 patients developed cancers of the blood or lymph systems.
346 patients developed lymphoma.
178 patients developed leukemia.
95 patients developed multiple myeloma.

These results indicate that although immunosuppressant drugs in general may increase the risk for cancers of the blood or lymph system, cyclophosphamide had the greatest risk for lymphoma.