There is a significant risk of lung cancer in association with rheumatoid arthritis. This is based on a study published in the online journal Arthritis and Rheumatology.
Rebecca T. Brooks, M.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, along with her colleagues, evaluated the risk of lung cancer in people with rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis lung disease. The analysis comprises 72,795 veterans health administration patients with rheumatoid arthritis, in addition to 633,937 matched non-rheumatoid arthritis people.
Researchers found that rheumatoid arthritis had an independent association with an increased risk of lung cancer. The adjusted hazard ratio ([aHR], 1.58) persisted in non-smokers who had never smoked either (aHR, 1.65) or incident rheumatoid arthritis (aHR, 1.54).
Prevalent RA-ILD (757 patients) had a stronger association with the risk (aHR, 3.25) in comparison with RA without ILD (aHR, 1.57) compared with non-RA controls. However, results were similar for both prevalent and incident RA-ILD (RA-ILD versus non-RA: aHR, 2.88).
The authors wrote,
RA was associated with a >50 percent increased risk of lung cancer, and RA-ILD represented a particularly high-risk group with an approximate threefold increased risk,
Increased lung cancer surveillance in RA, and especially RA-ILD, may be a useful strategy for reducing the burden posed by the leading cause of cancer death.
