Autoimmune Diseases Like Lupus, Psoriasis May Raise Cancer Risk

Cancer risk is higher for people battling autoimmune diseases, but the danger declines after they start taking anti-inflammatory medications, a new report finds.

Italian researchers reporting in the journal Cancers found a 32% increase in the odds for cancer in the first year after a diagnosis for an autoimmune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis.

However, after patients start taking drugs to ease the runaway inflammation that characterizes these illnesses, their cancer risk declines.

“The peak risk observed in the early stages suggests that chronic inflammation, rather than treatments, is a key factor in cancer development,” said Daniela Marotto, co-senior author of the study. She is head of rheumatology at the Local Health Authority of Gallura, in Italy.

Marotto and colleagues tracked the incidence of cancer among more than 356,000 Italians. They found that cancers of the lung and bladder, as well as blood malignancies (such as leukemias and lymphomas) and melanoma were most associated with autoimmune disease.

“Our results support the hypothesis that inflammation is a determining factor in cancer risk,” noted study co-author Dr. Antonio Giordano, a professor at the University of Siena in Italy. He is also founder and director of the Sbarro Health Research Organization.

Researchers said the finding highlights the need to encourage cancer screening among people with autoimmune diseases, especially in the first year after a diagnosis.