Impact of Rheumatoid Arthritis on the Mortality of Elderly Patients Who Develop Cancer: A Population-Based Study

Utilization of Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Therapy in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis and Recently Diagnosed Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVE

Biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) are immunosuppressants, and there have been concerns that they might impact tumor immunity in patients with cancer with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to describe the utilization trends of bDMARD in patients with RA after breast cancer (BC) diagnosis.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study of adults with RA and BC (2008 onward) from Optum's de-identified Clinformatics® Data Mart Database (CDM); the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) Medicare; and the Texas Cancer Registry (TCR) Medicare databases. We evaluated bDMARD utilization trends during the first three years after BC. We conducted multivariable logistic regression to evaluate the association of utilization with patient characteristics.

RESULTS

A total 1,412 patients were identified in CDM and 1,439 patients in SEER/TCR-Medicare. During the three months before BC diagnosis, 28.2% (CDM) and 26.9% (SEER/TCR-Medicare) patients had received bDMARDs. Within the first three years after diagnosis, 24.1% (CDM) and 26.4% (SEER/TCR-Medicare) were receiving bDMARDs. About 70% of the patients in the two cohorts received glucocorticoids with no significant time trend increases. The largest predictor of bDMARD utilization was prior use before BC (CDM: odds ratio [OR] 27.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 19.29-38.19; SEER/TCR: OR 18.98, 95% CI 13.72-26.26). Regional and distant BC compared to in situ or localized were also associated with lower bDMARDs utilization in SEER/TCR-Medicare (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.36-0.82; OR 0.31, 95% CI 0.13-0.77, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The utilization of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and other bDMARDs in patients with RA and recent BC has not increased since 2008. Glucocorticoids utilization remained high. The largest predictor of bDMARD utilization was prior use before BC.

DPPX antibody-mediated autoimmune encephalitis：the first case with breast cancer and review of the literature

Dipeptidyl-peptidase-like protein 6 (DPPX) antibody-mediated encephalitis is a rare type of autoimmune encephalitis (AE), which mainly manifests as diarrhea accompanied by weight loss, cognitive decline, epileptic seizures, and even psychiatric symptoms. Remarkably, it is also reported to be associated with tumors, predominantly B-cell lymphoma. Overall, the AE remains uncharacterized clinically and its long-term prognosis remains elusive. Herein, we report the first case of DPPX antibody-mediated AE secondary to breast cancer. Importantly, it substantially improves after aggressive immunotherapy. Our case highlights DPPX antibody-mediated AE as a paraneoplastic syndrome and discusses the pearls in its diagnosis and management.

Impact of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema on lung cancer risk and mortality in rheumatoid arthritis: A multicenter retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVE

Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a syndrome characterized by the coexistence of emphysema and fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD). The aim of this study was to examine the effect of CPFE on lung cancer risk and lung cancer-related mortality in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

METHODS

We conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study of patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer at five community hospitals between June 2006 and December 2021. Patients were followed until lung cancer-related death, other-cause death, loss to follow-up, or the end of the study. We used the cumulative incidence function with Gray's test and Fine-Gray regression analysis for survival analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 563 patients with biopsy-proven lung cancer were included (82 RA patients and 481 non-RA patients). The prevalence of CPFE was higher in RA patients than in non-RA patients (40.2% vs.10.0%) at lung cancer diagnosis. During follow-up, the crude incidence rate of lung cancer-related death was 0.29 and 0.10 per patient-year (PY) in RA and non-RA patients, and 0.32 and 0.07 per PY in patients with CPFE and patients without ILD or emphysema, respectively. The estimated death probability at 5 years differed between RA and non-RA patients (66% vs. 32%, p<0.001) and between patients with CPFE and patients without ILD or emphysema (71% vs. 24%, p<0.001). In addition to clinical cancer stage and no surgery within 1 month, RA and CPFE were identified as independent predictive factors for increased lung cancer-related mortality (RA: adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.65-4.76; CPFE: adjusted HR 2.01; 95% CI 1.24-3.23).

CONCLUSIONS

RA patients with lung cancer had a higher prevalence of CPFE and increased cancer-related mortality compared with non-RA patients. Close monitoring and optimal treatment strategies tailored to RA patients with CPFE are important to improve the poor prognosis of lung cancer.

Overall survival in 92,991 colorectal cancer patients in Germany: differences according to type of comorbidity

BACKGROUND

Poorer survival in cancer patients with vs. without comorbidity has been reported for various cancer sites. For patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), limited data are available so far.

METHODS

Patients with CRC diagnosed between 2010 and 2018 were identified in a health claims database covering 20% of the German population. We assessed the prevalence of comorbidities at cancer diagnosis and categorized the patients into the groups: 'none', 'somatic only', 'mental only' or 'both' types of comorbidities. Hazard ratios (HR, with 95% confidence intervals) for five-year overall survival were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models, adjusted for age, sex and stage at diagnosis (advanced vs. non-advanced).

RESULTS

We included 92,991 patients (females: 49.1%, median age: 72 years) with a median follow-up of 30 months. The proportions assigned to the groups 'none', 'somatic only', 'mental only' or 'both' were 24.7%, 65.5%, 1.4% and 8.4%. Overall, 32.8% of the patients died during follow-up. Compared to patients without comorbidities ('none'), the adjusted HR regarding death from any cause was 1.11 (95% CI: 1.07-1.14) in the group 'somatic only', 1.74 (95% CI: 1.58-1.92) in the group 'mental only' and 1.92 (95% CI: 1.84-2.00) in the group 'both'. For patients with 'mental only' comorbidities, the adjusted HR was higher in males than in females (HR = 2.19, 95% CI: 1.88-2.55 vs. HR = 1.55, 95% CI: 1.37-1.75).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that patients with CRC and with mental comorbidities, particularly males, have a markedly lower overall survival compared to those without any or only somatic comorbidities.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Mortality in Elderly Patients With Early Breast Cancer

OBJECTIVE

Patients with cancer and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may have worse outcomes than those without SLE, given their comorbidities. We examined survival in elderly women with breast cancer (BC) and SLE and hypothesized that survival would be decreased compared with women with BC but without SLE.

METHODS

We identified patients with BC and SLE and patients with BC without SLE in the Texas Cancer Registry and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results, linked to Medicare claims. Overall survival (OS) was estimated after matching (age and cancer stage) and in multivariable Cox proportional hazards models adjusting for other cancer characteristics, treatment, and comorbidities. Two additional cohorts of women without cancer with and without SLE were also studied.

RESULTS

We identified 494 BC SLE cases and 145,517 BC non-SLE cases, of whom we matched 9,708. Women with SLE were less likely to receive radiation, breast conserving surgery, or endocrine therapy. The 8-year OS estimate for women with early BC (stages 0-II) with and without SLE was 52% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 45%-59%) and 74% (95% CI 73%-75%), respectively. In the Cox multivariable model, BC and SLE had increased risk of death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.65, 95% CI 1.38-1.98). Women with BC and SLE also had increased risk of death compared with women with SLE but without cancer (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.05-1.92) after adjusting for SLE severity. Women with SLE and BC received less glucocorticoids, antimalarials, and immunosuppressants after cancer diagnosis than those without cancer.

CONCLUSION

Systemic lupus is a risk factor for increased mortality in women with early BC.

Immune-related conditions and cancer-specific mortality among older adults with cancer in the United States

Immunity may play a role in preventing cancer progression. We studied associations of immune-related conditions with cancer-specific mortality among older adults in the United States. We evaluated 1 229 443 patients diagnosed with 20 common cancer types (age 67-99, years 1993-2013) using Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare data. With Medicare claims, we ascertained immune-related medical conditions diagnosed before cancer diagnosis (4 immunosuppressive conditions [n = 3380 affected cases], 32 autoimmune conditions [n = 155 766], 3 allergic conditions [n = 101 366]). For each cancer site, we estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer-specific mortality associated with each condition, applying a Bonferroni cutoff for significance (P < 5.1 × 10-5 ). Bayesian metaanalysis methods were used to detect patterns across groups of conditions and cancers. We observed 21 associations with cancer-specific mortality at the Bonferroni threshold. Increased cancer-specific mortality was observed with rheumatoid arthritis for patients with melanoma (aHR 1.51, 95% CI 1.31-1.75) and breast cancer (1.24, 1.15-1.33)), and with hemolytic anemia for bladder cancer (2.54, 1.68-3.82). Significant inverse associations with cancer-specific mortality were observed for allergic rhinitis (range of aHRs: 0.84-0.94) and asthma (0.83-0.95) for cancers of the lung, breast, and prostate. Cancer-specific mortality was nominally elevated in patients with immunosuppressive conditions for eight cancer types (aHR range: 1.27-2.36; P-value range: 7.5 × 10-5 to 3.1 × 10-2 ) and was strongly associated with grouped immunosuppressive conditions using Bayesian metaanalyses methods. For older patients with several cancer types, certain immunosuppressive and autoimmune conditions were associated with increased cancer-specific mortality. In contrast, inverse associations with allergic conditions may reflect enhanced immune control of cancer.

Regulation of mi-RNAs Target Cancer Genes Between Exercise and Non-exercise in Rat Rheumatoid Arthritis Induction: Pilot Study

Introduction:

Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with various cancers. Many studies have investigated physical exercise interventions as health improvements to ameliorate the risk of cancer during rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. Recently, microRNAs were used as biomarkers for health assessment and cancer prediction in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Methods:

The effects of exercise interventions on serum microRNAs were investigated in pristane-induced arthritis (PIA) rat models. Twelve Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into 4 groups including non-exercise without PIA (N-EX), non-exercise with PIA (N-EX + PIA), exercise without PIA (EX) and exercise with PIA (EX + PIA). Blood samples were collected at the end of the study period to analyze miRNA biomarkers and target cancer gene predictions.

Results:

Four significant Rattus norvegicus (rno-microRNAs) may purpose as tumor suppressors were identified as potential target cancer gene candidate expressions within the 4 comparative interventional exercise groups. One rno-microRNA and target cancer gene candidate was up-regulated and 3 rno-microRNAs and their target cancer genes were down-regulated.

Conclusions:

Exercise interventions affected rno-miRNAs regulated target cancer gene candidates ITPR3, SOCS6, ITGA6, and NKX2-1 as biomarkers for cancer prognosis in rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis.

Use of Disease-modifying Antirheumatic Drugs After Cancer Diagnosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Objective

There is no recommendation for the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who developed cancer. We examined changes in the DMARDs prescription patterns associated with cancer diagnosis in RA patients.

Methods

We reviewed the medical records of 2,161 RA patients who visited rheumatology clinic between January 2008 and February 2017 and found 40 patients who developed cancer during RA treatment. In these patients, we examined DMARDs prescription patterns before and right after cancer diagnosis and at recent outpatient clinic visits.

Results

Before cancer diagnosis, methotrexate (MTX)-combined conventional synthetic DMARDs (csDMARDs) were most commonly prescribed (22, 55.0%) and biological DMARDs (biologics) in nine patients (22.5%). For cancer treatment, 19 patients received chemotherapy (including adjuvant chemotherapy) and 21 patients had surgery only. Right after cancer diagnosis, changes in the DMARDs prescription patterns were similar in discontinuation (13, 32.5%), switching (14, 35.0%), and maintenance (13, 32.5%). DMARDs were discontinued more frequently in the chemotherapy group (9/19, 47.4%) than the surgery only group (4/2, 19.0%) (p<0.05). Among the 13 patients who discontinued DMARDs, nine (69.2%) resumed DMARDs after a median of 5.5 months (interquartile range [IQR] 2.9, 18.3) due to arthritis flare. At a median of 4.6 years (IQR 3.3, 6.7) after cancer diagnosis, 25 patients were evaluated at recent outpatient clinic visits. Four patients received no DMARD, three MTX monotherapies, 11 csDMARDs combination therapies, and seven biologics.

Conclusion

A significant number of RA patients who developed cancer during RA treatment were still receiving DMARDs including biologics after cancer diagnosis.

Magnitude of the Age-Advancement Effect of Comorbidities in Colorectal Cancer Prognosis

BACKGROUND

Comorbidities and old age independently compromise prognosis of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). The impact of comorbidities could thus be considered as conveying worse prognosis already at younger ages, but evidence is lacking on how much worsening of prognosis with age is advanced to younger ages in comorbid versus noncomorbid patients. We aimed to quantify, for the first time, the impact of comorbidities on CRC prognosis in "age advancement" of worse prognosis.

METHODS

A total of 4,602 patients aged ≥30 years who were diagnosed with CRC in 2003 through 2014 were recruited into a population-based study in the Rhine-Neckar region of Germany and observed over a median period of 5.1 years. Overall comorbidity was quantified using the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Hazard ratios and age advancement periods (AAPs) for comorbidities were calculated from multivariable Cox proportional hazards models for relevant survival outcomes.

RESULTS

Hazard ratios for CCI scores 1, 2, and ≥3 compared with CCI 0 were 1.25, 1.53, and 2.30 (P<.001) for overall survival and 1.20, 1.48, and 2.03 (P<.001) for disease-free survival, respectively. Corresponding AAP estimates for CCI scores 1, 2, and ≥3 were 5.0 (95% CI, 1.9-8.1), 9.7 (95% CI, 6.1-13.3), and 18.9 years (95% CI, 14.4-23.3) for overall survival and 5.5 (95% CI, 1.5-9.5), 11.7 (95% CI, 7.0-16.4), and 21.0 years (95% CI, 15.1-26.9) for disease-free survival. Particularly pronounced effects of comorbidity on CRC prognosis were observed in patients with stage I-III CRC.

CONCLUSIONS

Comorbidities advance the commonly observed deterioration of prognosis with age by many years, meaning that at substantially younger ages, comorbid patients with CRC experience survival rates comparable to those of older patients without comorbidity. This first derivation of AAPs may enhance the empirical basis for treatment decisions in patients with comorbidities and highlight the need to incorporate comorbidities into prognostic nomograms for CRC.

Lung Cancer Survival in Patients With Autoimmune Disease

IMPORTANCE

Patients with autoimmune disease and lung cancer pose a multidisciplinary treatment challenge, particularly with the advent of immunotherapy. However, the association between autoimmune disease and lung cancer survival is largely unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the association between autoimmune disease and lung cancer survival.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

Retrospective cohort study between 2003 and 2019 at a single academic medical center (Northwestern University). A query of the Northwestern Medicine Enterprise Data Warehouse identified 349 patients with lung cancer and several autoimmune diseases. Types of lung cancers included small cell, adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, non-small cell not otherwise specified, and large cell carcinoma. Autoimmune diseases included rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, mixed connective tissue disease, myositis, and Sjögren syndrome. Inclusion criteria were biopsy-confirmed lung cancer, autoimmune diagnosis confirmed by a rheumatologist, and death or an encounter listed in the electronic medical record within 2 years of study end. A control group of patients with biopsy-proven lung cancer but without autoimmune disease was identified. Data analysis was conducted from March to July 2020.

EXPOSURE

Presence of autoimmune disease.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with autoimmune disease. The hypothesis was that patients with autoimmune disease would have worse progression-free survival and overall survival compared with patients in the control group.

RESULTS

Of the original 349 patients, 177 met inclusion criteria. Mean (SD) age at lung cancer diagnosis was 67.0 (10.0) years and 136 (76.8%) were women. Most common autoimmune diseases were rheumatoid arthritis (97 [54.8%]), systemic sclerosis (43 [24.3%]), and systemic lupus erythematous (15 [8.5%]). Most common lung cancers were adenocarcinoma (99 [55.9%]), squamous cell carcinoma (29 [16.4%]), and small cell lung cancer (17 [9.6%]). A total of 219 patients (mean [SD] age at diagnosis, 65.9 [4.1] years; 173 [79.0%]) were identified as having lung cancer without autoimmune disease and included in the control cohort. Compared with patients in the control group, patients with autoimmune disease experienced no difference in overall survival (log-rank P = .69). A total of 126 patients (69.5%) with autoimmune disease received standard of care vs 213 patients (97.3%) in the control group (P < .001). No individual autoimmune disease was associated with worse prognosis, even among patients with underlying interstitial lung disease.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Compared with institutional controls, patients with autoimmune disease experienced no difference in survival despite the fact that fewer patients in this group received standard-of-care treatment. No individual autoimmune disease was associated with worse prognosis. Future multicenter prospective trials are needed to further evaluate autoimmune disease and lung cancer survival.

Survival and prognostic factors of lung cancer patients with preexisting connective tissue disease: a retrospective cohort study

Background

Connective tissue diseases (CTDs) are a group of special commodities in lung cancer (LC). This study aimed to analyze the survival and prognostic factors of LC patients with preexisting CTDs.

Methods

A total of 84 LC patients with preexisting CTDs that presented at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) were retrospectively recruited in this study between January 2000 and June 2017. Patient survival was compared using the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess prognostic variables.

Results

Of the 84 LC patients, 36 (41.8%) had underlying rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 20 (23.8%) had idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM), 18 (21.4%) had Sjögren syndrome (SS), 6 (7.1%) had systemic sclerosis (SSc), and 4 (4.8%) had systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The median overall survival (OS) was 21 months (IQR, 8–72 months), and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates were 61.3%, 36.7%, and 29.5%, respectively. The survival rates between different CTD subgroups, histopathologies, and disease stages were significantly different (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that the independent prognostic factors for OS were IIM [hazard ratio (HR), 3.61; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.69–8.21; P=0.002], SS (HR, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.01–7.33; P=0.048), and radical resection (HR, 0.11; 95% CI, 0.04–0.35; P<0.001).

Conclusions

Different CTD subtypes and the radical resection of LC are closely related to patient prognosis. This indicates a need for both identifications of CTD types and active treatment strategies for LC.

Considerations for improving quality of care of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and associated comorbidities

OBJECTIVE

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disorder with a global prevalence of approximately 0.5-1%. Patients with RA are at an increased risk of developing comorbidities (eg, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes and depression). Despite this, there are limited recommendations for the management and implementation of associated comorbidities. This study aimed to identify good practice interventions in the care of RA and associated comorbidities.

METHODS

A combination of primary research (180+ interviews with specialists across 12 European rheumatology centres) and secondary research (literature review of existing publications and guidelines/recommendations) were used to identify challenges in management and corresponding good practice interventions. Findings were prioritised and reviewed by a group of 18 rheumatology experts including rheumatologists, comorbidity experts, a patient representative and a highly specialised nurse.

RESULTS

Challenges throughout the patient pathway (including delays in diagnosis and referral, shortage of rheumatologists, limited awareness of primary care professionals) and 18 good practice interventions were identified in the study. The expert group segmented and prioritised interventions according to three distinct stages of the disease: (1) suspected RA, (2) recent diagnosis of RA and (3) established RA. Examples of good practice interventions included enabling self-management (self-monitoring and disease management support, for example, lifestyle adaptations); early arthritis clinic; rapid access to care (online referral, triage, ultrasound-guided diagnosis); dedicated comorbidity specialists; enhanced communication with primary care (hotline, education sessions); and integrating patient registries into daily clinical practice.

CONCLUSION

Learning from implementation of good practice interventions in centres across Europe provides an opportunity to more widely improved care for patients with RA and associated comorbidities.

Management of inflammatory rheumatic conditions in the elderly

The number of elderly people with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases is increasing. This heterogeneous and comorbid population is at particular risk of cardiovascular, neoplastic, infectious and iatrogenic complications. The development of biotherapies has paved the way for innovative therapeutic strategies, which are associated with toxicities. In this review, we have focused on the scientific and therapeutic changes impacting the management of elderly patients affected by RA, SpA or PsA. A multidimensional health assessment resulting in an integrated therapeutic strategy was identified as a major research direction for improving the management of elderly patients.

Cartilage oligomeric matrix protein in patients with osteoarthritis is independently associated with metastatic disease in prostate cancer

Metastatic prostate cancer has a 5-year survival rate of 30%. Identifying predictors of metastasis outcome could potentially reduce patient mortality. The objective of this study was to determine whether osteoarthritis had an impact on outcomes of prostate cancer including death, local recurrence and/or metastasis and to determine whether cartilage oligomeric matrix protein was involved. We performed a retrospective case-control study of patients with prostate cancer with and without the diagnosis of osteoarthritis and completed immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis of prostate (n=20) and lymph node (n=7) surgical specimens. We evaluated death, local recurrence and metastatic disease by various IHC biomarkers including prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), CD31, and Ki-67. Our model identified osteoarthritis as an independent risk factor for metastatic disease (OR 5.24, 95% CI 1.49 - 18.41). Most notably, when joint arthroplasty was included in the model, osteoarthritis was no longer an independent risk factor for this outcome (p=0.071). IHC demonstrated that those with osteoarthritis, had greater expression of COMP in the prostate samples (mean 23.9% vs 5.84%, p<0.05) but not of Ki-67, CD31, or PSMA. This study identified and quantified increased metastatic disease in patients with osteoarthritis. Also, patients with osteoarthritis expressed increased COMP levels in the prostate and most likely in distant lymphatic nodes. Moreover, our findings suggest that joint arthroplasty may affect the ability of osteoarthritis to promote metastasis, which could impact treatment protocols and survival outcomes of the most common cause of cancer-related death (metastasis) in the United States.

Malignancy Incidence, Management, and Prevention in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Traditional and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are effective medications for the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the effects of these medications on immune function raises concern that they may increase long-term cancer risk. The baseline risk for some cancers appears to differ in patients with RA compared to the general population, with the former having an increased risk of lymphoma, lung cancer and renal cancer, but a decreased risk of colorectal and breast cancer. Some DMARDs appear to increase the rate of specific cancer types (such as bladder cancer with cyclophosphamide), but few appear to increase the overall cancer risk. Studying the link between lymphoma and disease severity in RA is complicated because patients with persistently active disease are at increased risk for lymphoma, and disease severity correlates with more intense use of immunosuppressive medications. Overall, cancer risk in patients with RA is slightly above that of the general population, with the increased risk likely secondary to an increased risk of lymphomas in those with high disease activity. Risk mitigation includes management of RA disease activity as well as age- and sex-appropriate cancer screening.