Editorial
The relationship between cancer and rheumatoid arthritis: still a large research agenda
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* Corresponding author: Daniel H Solomon dsolomon@partners.org
Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Arthritis Research & Therapy 2008, 10:109 doi:10.1186/ar2417
Published: 14 May 2008Abstract
The association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and malignancies has received increased attention in recent years. Reports suggesting that tumor necrosis factor blockers might elevate the risk of malignancy in RA patients have prompted researchers to look at the incidence of malignancies in all RA patients. In a recent issue of Arthritis Research & Therapy, Smitten and colleagues suggest that previous reports of a standardized incidence ratio close to one for malignancies in RA may reflect an increased risk for some site-specific malignancies and a reduced risk for others. Here we discuss these findings and suggest what issues could be addressed in future studies.