Summary
This research article investigates the risk of cancer recurrence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have a history of solid cancer and are treated with biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs). The study utilizes a nationwide register-based cohort of Danish patients diagnosed with RA and specific solid cancers in remission. It compares the recurrence risk between those treated with bDMARDs and those receiving conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs). The study identifies three groups based on the type of bDMARD: any bDMARD, tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), and rituximab. The findings indicate that there are no statistically significant increases in the hazard ratios for cancer recurrence among patients treated with any bDMARD, TNFi, or rituximab compared to those treated with csDMARDs. The results suggest that bDMARDs can be safely administered to RA patients with a history of solid cancer in remission without an increased risk of cancer recurrence.
