Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is a generalized term for diseases that involve irritation in the colon and rectum. It includes autoimmune diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body erroneously attacks healthy tissue as if it were foreign.
Immunosuppressive agents, rugs that dampen the immune response, can help treat autoimmune disorders. However, their safety in patients afflicted by both cancer and autoimmune diseases remains a concern. While in an autoimmune environment, too strong an immune response is harmful, maintaining an active immune response is beneficial in a cancer setting.
A team of researchers conducted a prospective study to determine whether immunosuppressive agents impact cancer patients’ risk of cancer. They recently published the results in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.
The study included 305 patients with IBD and cancer. Roughly half the patients were male (47%) and most were White (88%). On average, patients were first diagnosed with IBD at age 32 and with cancer at 52. Cancer involved solid organs (46%), skin (32%), gastrointestinal tract (13%), and blood (9%).
During an average 4.8-year follow-up period, 210 patients received immunosuppressive agents for treatment of IBD. During the same timeframe, 46 patients developed cancer, including 25 new cases and 21 recurrences.
The analysis revealed that, in patients without exposure to immunosuppressive agents, a rate of cancer incidence of 2.58 per 100 person-years. In those patients exposed to immunosuppressive agents, the cancer incidence rate was 4.78 per 100 person-years. However, after excluding cases of non-melanoma skin cancer and adjusting for sex, smoking history, age, and stage of cancer, the researchers found no association between immunosuppressive therapy for IBD and cancer.
The authors conclude that exposure to immunosuppressive agents does not significantly increase a patient’s risk of developing cancer or experiencing a recurrence. This significant finding provides valuable insights and reassurance to healthcare professionals and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, oncology, and immunology.
Sources: Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol