A RECENT long-term population study from Western Australia has revealed critical insights into the relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and cancer outcomes. The research indicates that while the overall cancer incidence rate (CIR) in RA patients is lower compared to matched controls, these patients experience higher mortality rates following a cancer diagnosis.
The study analyzed data from 14,041 patients with RA (67.56% female, median age 65.1 years) and 33,785 controls (65.16% female, median age 65.3 years) hospitalized between 1985 and 2015. Notably, preexisting cancer was less prevalent in patients with RA than in controls (7.6% vs. 14.2%; P < 0.01). Among participants without prior cancer, the overall post-index CIR was lower in the RA group (19.68 vs. 24.77 per 1000 person-years; incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.79, 95% CI 0.76-0.83) and remained stable over the three decades studied. Despite the lower overall CIR, patients with RA exhibited higher incidence rates for specific cancer types, particularly lung (CIR 1.17, 95% CI 1.04-1.34) and hematological cancers (CIR 1.21, 95% CI 1.03-1.43). Conversely, the incidence was lower for most other cancer types in the RA cohort. A concerning finding is the reduced median survival following a cancer diagnosis in patients compared to controls (3.3 vs. 5.3 years; P < 0.001). This increased mortality rate was observed across most cancer subtypes, underscoring the need for vigilant cancer management in this population. These findings highlight the importance of tailored cancer screening and management strategies for RA patients, especially for lung and hematological cancers. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the heightened cancer mortality risk in this demographic to improve patient outcomes. Reference: Nossent J et al. Cancer Incidence and Outcome for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Long-term Population Study in Western Australia. Int J Rheumatol. 2025;52(3):219-25. Anaya Malik | AMJ
