Lymphoma Risk (lymphoma + risk)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Lymphoma risk in inflammatory bowel disease: Is it the disease or its treatment?

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 10 2007
Jennifer L. Jones MD
Abstract With the increasingly widespread use of immunosuppressive and biologic agents for the treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis come concerns about potential long-term consequences of such therapies. Disentangling the potential confounding effects of the underlying disease, its extent, severity, duration, and behavior, and concomitant medical therapy has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Unlike the case in rheumatoid arthritis, the overwhelming preponderance of population-based evidence suggests that a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not associated with an increased relative risk of lymphoma. However, well-designed studies that evaluate the potential modifying effect of IBD severity have yet to be performed. Although the results from hospital- and population-based studies have conflicted, the results of a recent meta-analysis suggest that patients receiving purine analogs for the treatment of IBD have a lymphoma risk ,4-fold higher than expected. Analyses of lymphoma risk in patients receiving biologic agents directed against tumor necrosis factor-alpha are confounded by concomitant use of immunosuppressive agents in most of these patients. Nevertheless, there may be a small but real risk of lymphoma associated with these therapies. Although the relative risk of lymphoma may be elevated in association with some of the medical therapies used in the treatment of IBD, this absolute risk is low. Weighing the potential risk of lymphoma associated with select medical therapies against the risk of undertreating IBD will help physicians and patients to make more informed decisions pertaining to the medical management of IBD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007) [source]


Patient perceptions of the risks and benefits of infliximab for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 1 2008
Corey A. Siegel MD
Abstract Background: For a patient to make informed, preference based decisions, they must be able to balance the risks and benefits of treatment. The aim of this study was to determine patients' and parents' perceptions of the risks and benefits of infliximab for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Adult patients with IBD and parents of patients attending IBD patient education symposiums were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the risks and benefits of infliximab. Results: One hundred and sixty-five questionnaires were completed. A majority (59%) of respondents expected a remission rate greater than 50% at 1 year and 18% expected a remission rate greater than 70% at 1 year. More than one-third (37%) of respondents answered that infliximab is not associated with a risk of lymphoma and 67% responded that the lymphoma risk is no higher than twice that of the general population. When presented a scenario of a hypothetical new drug for IBD with risks mirroring those estimated for infliximab, 64% of respondents indicated that they would not take the medication, despite its described benefits. Thirty percent of these patients were either currently taking or had previously taken infliximab. Patients actively taking infliximab predicted the highest remission rates for the infliximab (P = 0.05), and parents of patients predicted the lowest (P = 0.01). Parents estimated a higher risk of lymphoma than patients (P = 0.003). Risk and benefit perception was independent of gender and age of patient respondents. Conclusions: Compared to published literature, patients and parents of patients overestimate the benefit of infliximab and underestimate its risks. We conclude that effective methods for communicating risks and benefits to patients need to be developed. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007) [source]


Lymphoma risk in inflammatory bowel disease: Is it the disease or its treatment?

INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES, Issue 10 2007
Jennifer L. Jones MD
Abstract With the increasingly widespread use of immunosuppressive and biologic agents for the treatment of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis come concerns about potential long-term consequences of such therapies. Disentangling the potential confounding effects of the underlying disease, its extent, severity, duration, and behavior, and concomitant medical therapy has proven to be exceedingly difficult. Unlike the case in rheumatoid arthritis, the overwhelming preponderance of population-based evidence suggests that a diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is not associated with an increased relative risk of lymphoma. However, well-designed studies that evaluate the potential modifying effect of IBD severity have yet to be performed. Although the results from hospital- and population-based studies have conflicted, the results of a recent meta-analysis suggest that patients receiving purine analogs for the treatment of IBD have a lymphoma risk ,4-fold higher than expected. Analyses of lymphoma risk in patients receiving biologic agents directed against tumor necrosis factor-alpha are confounded by concomitant use of immunosuppressive agents in most of these patients. Nevertheless, there may be a small but real risk of lymphoma associated with these therapies. Although the relative risk of lymphoma may be elevated in association with some of the medical therapies used in the treatment of IBD, this absolute risk is low. Weighing the potential risk of lymphoma associated with select medical therapies against the risk of undertreating IBD will help physicians and patients to make more informed decisions pertaining to the medical management of IBD. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007) [source]


Autoimmune and inflammatory disorders and risk of malignant lymphomas , an update

JOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 6 2008
K. E. Smedby
Abstract. As specific autoimmune disorders now constitute established risk factors for malignant lymphomas, we describe this association. We review reported risk levels, risk determinants, lymphoma subtypes and biological mechanisms in autoimmunity/inflammation, emphasizing on recent findings. Whilst numerous reports describe average lymphoma risks in large patient groups, there's a recent shift of focus to risk determinants and the role of inflammatory activity. Studies highlight associations with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, apart from lymphoma development in target organs of inflammation. Future studies of high-risk patient subsets using detailed assessments of autoimmunity/inflammation and lymphoma may give important clues to lymphomagenesis. [source]


Do rheumatoid arthritis and lymphoma share risk factors?: A comparison of lymphoma and cancer risks before and after diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 5 2010
Karin Hellgren
Objective Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), in particular those with the most severe disease, are at increased risk of developing malignant lymphoma. Whether this increase is entirely a consequence of the RA disease and/or its treatment or is reflective of shared susceptibility to the two diseases remains unclear. We undertook this study to assess whether patients with RA are already at increased risk of lymphoma or of other cancers before the diagnosis of RA, and if the relative risk increases with time since RA diagnosis. Methods Patients with incident RA (symptom duration <1 year) (n = 6,745) registered in the Swedish Early Arthritis Registry from 1997 through 2006 were identified. For each patient, 5 general population controls were randomly matched by sex, age, marital status, and residence (n = 33,657). For all study subjects, inclusion in the nationwide Swedish Cancer Register in 1958,2006 was determined. Relative risks (RRs) (with 95% confidence intervals [95% CIs]) of lymphoma and of cancer overall, before and after diagnosis of RA, were estimated using conditional logistic regression and Cox regression, respectively. Results Before diagnosis of RA, there was no observed increase in the risk of lymphoma (RR [odds ratio] 0.67 [95% CI 0.37,1.23]) or other cancers (RR 0.78 [95% CI 0.70,0.88]). During the first 10 years following diagnosis of RA, the overall RR (hazard ratio) of lymphoma development was 1.75 (95 % CI 1.04,2.96). Conclusion These findings indicate that overall, a history of cancer, including lymphoma, does not increase the risk of subsequent RA development. Shared susceptibility to RA and lymphoma may thus be of limited importance. In contrast, increased lymphoma risks were observed within the first decade following RA diagnosis. [source]