Renal cell carcinoma in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis treated with adalimumab

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic erosive inflammatory disease which can involve the locomotor system and cause systemic involvement. The efficacy and safety of anti-TNF-alpha drugs have been shown in active RA cases that are resistant to traditional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. However, it is well known that anti-TNF-alpha drugs may cause lymphomas and various solid malignancies. On the other hand, there are studies on the efficacy of anti- TNF-alpha drugs in the treatment of resistant renal cell cancer. This case report presents a 57-year-old female patient with hematuria who had been followed up with the diagnosis of RA for 20 years and had been using adalimumab for the last 4 years. A solid mass was found in the left kidney in the abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography. Nephrectomy was performed by general surgery. Histopathological findings of the specimen were consistent with renal cell carcinoma.