RESEARCH - MTX treatment of RA increases risk for certain cancers

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Release Date: June 10, 2008; Valid for credit through June 10, 2009

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Methotrexate Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis Increases Risk for

Certain Cancers

June 10, 2008 — Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with

methotrexate are at an increased risk for melanoma, non-Hodgkin's

lymphoma, and lung cancer, according to the results of a study

reported in the June 15 issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

" Population-based and hospital-based RA cohort studies have variably

reported an increased incidence of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's

lymphoma, leukemia, myeloma, and lung cancer and a reduced incidence

of colorectal cancer in persons with RA compared with the general

population, " write le Buchbinder, MBBS(Hons), MSc, PhD, FRACP,

from Cabrini Hospital and Monash University in Melbourne, ,

Australia, and colleagues. " An association between methotrexate (MTX),

a commonly prescribed disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)

used to treat RA, and cancer has also been suggested. "

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Read the entire article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/575787

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