Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 17, 2026

Transfer of Manipulated Tumor-associated Neutrophils into Tumor-Bearing Mice to Study their Angiogenic Potential In Vivo
08:19

Transfer of Manipulated Tumor-associated Neutrophils into Tumor-Bearing Mice to Study their Angiogenic Potential In Vivo

Published on: July 20, 2019

Tumor necrosis factor α inhibitor therapy and cancer risk in chronic immune-mediated diseases

Kevin Haynes1, Timothy Beukelman, Jeffrey R Curtis

  • 1University of Pennsylvania, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. khaynes@upenn.edu

Arthritis and Rheumatism
|October 12, 2012
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) inhibitor therapy did not increase short-term cancer risk in patients with immune-mediated diseases compared to alternative treatments. This finding supports the safety of TNFα inhibitors for managing chronic inflammatory conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Oncology
  • Rheumatology

Background:

  • Immune-mediated chronic inflammatory diseases (ICIDs) like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease are often treated with disease-modifying therapies.
  • Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) inhibitors are a class of biologic agents used to manage ICIDs.
  • Concerns exist regarding the potential oncogenic risk associated with TNFα inhibitor therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the incidence of cancer in patients receiving TNFα inhibitor therapy versus those on alternative therapies for ICIDs.
  • To assess the short-term cancer risk associated with TNFα inhibitors across various immune-mediated conditions.

Main Methods:

  • The Safety Assessment of Biological Therapeutics study utilized data from multiple large healthcare databases.
  • Propensity score-adjusted hazard ratios were calculated to compare cancer incidence between TNFα inhibitor users and alternative therapy users.
  • A validated algorithm was used for cancer detection, with varying positive predictive values for different cancer types.

Main Results:

  • Across rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis, no elevated incidence of any solid cancer was observed with TNFα inhibitor therapy compared to alternative treatments.
  • Specifically in rheumatoid arthritis patients, TNFα inhibitor use was not associated with an increased incidence of the 10 most common US cancers or nonmelanoma skin cancer.
  • Hazard ratios for solid cancers generally showed no significant increase, with some confidence intervals including 1.

Conclusions:

  • Short-term cancer risk was not found to be elevated in patients treated with TNFα inhibitors compared to those receiving commonly used alternative therapies for immune-mediated chronic inflammatory diseases.
  • These findings suggest that TNFα inhibitors are a relatively safe treatment option in terms of short-term oncogenic risk for these conditions.

More Related Videos

Flow Cytometry-Based Isolation and Therapeutic Evaluation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in a Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer07:55

Flow Cytometry-Based Isolation and Therapeutic Evaluation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in a Mouse Model of Pancreatic Cancer

Published on: January 17, 2025

Tumor Transplantation for Assessing the Dynamics of Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Cells in Mice07:36

Tumor Transplantation for Assessing the Dynamics of Tumor-Infiltrating CD8+ T Cells in Mice

Published on: June 12, 2021

Related Concept Videos

Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Biologic Agents: Anti-TNF01:24

Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Biologic Agents: Anti-TNF

Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), a proinflammatory cytokine, contributes significantly to the inflammation seen in Crohn's disease. It exists as soluble TNF and membrane-bound TNF, with actions mediated through TNF receptors (TNFR). TNFR activation leads to the release of proinflammatory cytokines, T-cell activation, collagen production, and leukocyte migration, all contributing to inflammation in Crohn's disease. Anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies, namely infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira),...
Tumor Immunotherapy01:27

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
The Tumor Microenvironment02:17

The Tumor Microenvironment

Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...
Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Immunomodulatory Agents01:29

Drugs for Treatment of Crohn's Disease in IBD Using Immunomodulatory Agents

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disorder marked by chronic inflammation of the GI tract. Various treatment strategies for Crohn's disease are employed, such as immunomodulatory agents, glucocorticoids, and biologics or anti-TNF therapy. Azathioprine (Imuran), a commonly used immunomodulatory drug for Crohn's disease, is converted in the body to mercaptopurine, which inhibits purine biosynthesis and cell proliferation. Both are utilized in severe cases of Inflammatory Bowel Disease...
T Cell Types and Functions01:24

T Cell Types and Functions

When T cells with CD4 markers are activated, they give rise to two types of effector cells: helper T cells and regulatory T cells. Meanwhile, T cells with CD8 markers differentiate into effector cytotoxic T cells. The differentiation of CD4 T cells into helper T cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, is dependent on the antigen type, antigen-presenting cell, and regulatory cytokines.
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...