Safety of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor therapy in patients with a prior malignancy

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• Limited evidence exists on the safety of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) therapy in patients with a recent cancer history.
• Assessing cancer-related outcomes in patients undergoing TNFi therapy after curative cancer treatment is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the safety and impact of TNFi therapy on cancer recurrence in patients with a prior history of malignancy.
• To evaluate cancer-related outcomes in patients who received curative cancer treatment before initiating TNFi therapy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of medical records for 814 patients receiving TNFi therapy.
• Data collection focused on patients with a history of malignancy who underwent prior anticancer treatment.
• Evaluation of cancer-related outcomes during TNFi exposure and follow-up.

Main Results:

• Twenty out of 814 patients had a prior cancer diagnosis before TNFi initiation.
• No cancer recurrence was observed during a median follow-up of 54.0 months of TNFi exposure.
• In eight patients with early-stage cancer, TNFi was initiated less than 5 years post-treatment, with no recurrence during a median follow-up of 33.5 months.

Conclusions:

• TNFi therapy may be a safe option for patients with a history of early-stage localized cancer.
• Initiating TNFi therapy less than 5 years after completing curative cancer treatment does not appear to be contraindicated.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings in larger cohorts.