Anti-TNF therapy in women with rheumatoid arthritis with a history of carcinoma in situ of the cervix

摘要

While many studies have investigated the risk of cancer following exposure to tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, data are scarce with respect to people with cancer prior to treatment. To our knowledge, no studies have looked at cancer risk following exposure to anti-TNF in patients with a history of premalignant conditions, such as cervical dysplasia and Barrett's oesophagus. Guidelines from the British Society for Rheumatology (BSR) advise caution when using anti-TNF in subjects with premalignant conditions. Given the uncertainties regarding the use of anti-TNF in people with premalignant conditions, we investigated the outcome of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a previous history of carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the cervix registered with the BSR Biologies Register.