A 53-year-old man was hospitalized for pericarditis, abdominal lymphadenopathy of unknown origin and non-bloody diarrhea. He was admitted for four days, and then he was discharged home without incident. Two months after his initial presentation, he was readmitted for the evaluation of several new issues, including symmetric arthralgias, hypovolemia with associated electrolyte abnormalities and concurrent…
CHICAGO—The body of literature on immunosuppressive drugs used to treat cancer and autoimmune diseases is growing, helping bring some clarity to their effects on the immune system and how well they work in patients. This has helped refine the questions that further research must answer, said an expert at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting. The…
CHICAGO—In the Thieves Market session at the 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting, rheumatologists from around the country presented a slate of challenging cases that emphasized the importance of clinical persistence and attention to detail, and the need to consider diagnoses that might not be common or obvious. Three of them are summarized below. (Look for more…
Since it was first reported in 1916, a correlation between inflammatory myopathies and cancer has been noted in several studies. Population studies have confirmed this relationship, and the phrase cancer-associated myopathy has entered the vernacular. Over the past decade, research efforts have shifted toward revealing associations between autoantibodies and clinical phenotypes. One subset of auto-antigens…
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are increasingly used to treat a variety of malignancies, leading to better cancer treatment outcomes and patient survival. However, the emergence of autoimmunity has been a major adverse event resulting from ICI use. Below, we describe a patient who experienced a flare of preexisting psoriasis and new-onset severe psoriatic arthritis after…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors do not appear to increase cancer-recurrence rates in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to new findings from Sweden. TNF has both tumor-promoting and cancer-protective effects, so TNF inhibitors could conceivably affect the risk for cancer recurrence. However, few studies have reported the risk for cancer relapse…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Using tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors in children is not significantly associated with cancer risk, according to a new study. “TNF inhibitors are remarkably effective for the treatment of many autoimmune conditions, but physicians worry that they cause cancer,” Dr. Timothy Beukelman from the University of Alabama in Birmingham told Reuters Health…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Using tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors for atypical dermatoses may unmask, or perhaps even worsen, cutaneous lymphoma, according to new research. “Our findings suggest that careful skin examination might be required in all patients prescribed anti-TNF-alpha agents, especially those with atypical presentations of benign skin conditions,” says Dr. Joan Guitart of…
BOSTON (Reuters)—The billionaire founder of Insys Therapeutics Inc was arrested on Thursday on U.S. charges he participated in a scheme to bribe doctors to prescribe a fentanyl-based cancer pain drug, marking a step by authorities to fight the opioid epidemic. John Kapoor, Insys’ majority shareholder who stepped down as chief executive in January, was charged…
BOSTON (Reuters)—A Rhode Island doctor pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges he participated in a scheme to obtain kickbacks in exchange for writing prescriptions for an addictive fentanyl-based cancer pain drug produced by Insys Therapeutics Inc. The plea by Jerrold Rosenberg came amid ongoing investigations of Insys related to Subsys, an under-the-tongue spray that contains…