Hi Molly,
I doubt they are saying that in France but regardless, the Swedish study being referred to was long term, robust and captured a very large sample size of RA patients - 6,366!
Does the risk change with the time since start of treatment? (link - www3.interscience.wiley.com)
Under
results: "RRs (relative risks) did not increase with increasing time since the start of anti-TNF therapy, nor with the cumulative duration of active anti-TNF therapy."
And
conclusion: "During the first 6 years after the start of anti-TNF therapy in routine care, no overall elevation of cancer risk and no increase with followup time were observed."
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These medications have not only proven to be incredibly efficacious as therapy for inflammatory arthritis but safe as well. In fact, the safety profile looks far better than nsaids, imho. It worries me that people will be unnecessarily frightened off trying something that could very well protect their health, when the facts are not offered in a balanced manner.
It is important for folks to be aware that uncontrolled inflammation *itself* increases a patients relative risk of developing cancer. People suffering with moderate to severe AS and RA, risk poor health outcomes and very real dangers (that are not rare) when they choose to forego effective treatment options, due only to fear rather than fact.
The opinion of one or two rheumatologists in any country is not worth a hill of beans in comparison to these large scale studies. Not in my opinion.
Just my take on it!
mig
