No Link Between IBD Treatment and Cancer Risk

US Pharm. 2014;39(7):6.

Copenhagen, Denmark— In a study of more than 56,000 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) antagonists was not associated with a greater risk of cancer. Using records from the National Patient Registry of Denmark, investigators at the Statens Serum Institut studied cancer rates in IBD patients aged ≥15 years, 8% of whom were treated with TNF-alpha antagonists. In a median follow-up of 3.7 years, cancer developed in nearly 7% of patients not exposed to TNF-alpha antagonists and in nearly 2% of those treated with TNF-alpha antagonists. No site-specific cancers were found in significant excess. However, an increased risk of malignancy in the long term cannot be excluded, the investigators cautioned.