The Young and the RA

“A large study conducted in Canada reveals that patients who are treated for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with the drug cyclophosphamide may have an increased risk for developing hematological cancers such as lymphoma” (CancerConsultants.com). 

Cyclophosphamide is an immunosuppressant that belongs to a class of drugs known as alkylating agents, which were, ironically, originally developed and are still used to treat some types of cancer. Like most RA drugs, cyclophosphamide can increase your risk for infections. It is because of this susceptibility for infection that researchers worry that immunosuppressant drugs may increase one’s risk for developing certain types of cancers such as lymphoma.

The purpose of the 23,810-person study was to determine if anti-rheumatic drugs, such as cyclophosphamide, were associated with risks for certain cancers. During the study:

• “619 patients developed cancers of the blood or lymph systems
• 346 patients developed lymphoma
• 178 patients developed leukemia
• 95 patients developed multiple myeloma
• The most frequently used drugs included methotrexate, azathioprine, and cyclophosphamide. Only cyclophosphamide, however, was associated with an increased risk for lymphoma” (CancerConsultants.com). 

According to the article, the results indicated that though immunosuppressant drugs might increase the risk for blood or lymph system cancers (UMMMMM…WHAT!), cyclophosphamide showed the greatest risk for lymphoma. Just hearing that freaked me out.

I take BOTH methotrexate AND azathioprine (also known as Imuran). So is there something else I should be monitoring? And I always thought of these drugs as ones that fight cancer since most of them started as cancer drugs, so this seems so out of left field to me. I’m going to have to do some more research and ask my rheumatologist about it. But just tell me this study doesn’t freak you out?! I don’t want to wake up 10 years down the road and find out these meds that I thought were helping are actually going to kill me. It’s kinda of a Catch-22. Scary.

Until next time,

S.P.