Patients treated with anti-TNF at increased risk of malignancies

摘要

There is an increased risk of serious infection and a dose-dependent increased risk of malignancies in people with rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-TNF therapy.Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) plays an important role in host defence and tumour control. Therefore, anti-TNF therapies may increase the risk of serious infections and malignancies. Researchers from the UK and the United States undertook a meta-analysis of randomised placebo controlled trials of the two licensed anti-TNF antibody therapies used for 12 weeks or more in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria and involved 3,493 patients who received anti-TNF and 1,512 patients who received placebo.