Friday, May 08, 2009 Scooby asks

Q: Link between RA and Cancer

I have asked all of my doctors and they don't have a real answer concerning the link between cancer and RA. Yes, we do have a compromised immune system but I know 10 people with RA and 3 of the 10 have cancer....30%...seems awfully high. I am trying to see if anyone else with RA has been diagnosed with any type of cancer.

My suggestion is make sure that you keep up with all of your regular screenings...mammogram, colonscopy, dermatology checkups, etc. so that you can be aware of anything changing in your body.

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Answers (4)

dryeyes2

5/ 9/09 5:07am

I dom't have cancer-at least not that im aware of, but my Rheuma did mention to me just the other day, That Lympoma is what they have to watch out for. We were discussing the Remicade-Not sure if she meant-b/c of the RA, or b/c of the biologic??? But my guess is...b/c of the drugs to treat the RA!

dryeyes2

5/ 9/09 10:55am

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention...my p/c doctor also told me...that every patient that he has ever had who has been on the "rejection" drugs-have gotten cancer!!! Not to scare everyone, but this is exactly what he said-so your darned if ya do-and darned if ya don't!

Sparky22

5/15/09 9:18am

Hi Cheryl--Did he mention which rejection drugs or pretty much all of them? This has been my biggest dilemma as to whether to start Enbrel (or Humira) or not.

dryeyes2

5/15/09 11:04am

Hi Sparky22

Whell the way he said it was..."Those" rejection drugs" I had just stopped the Leflunomide-(alk-Arava)-b/c i got an infectious disease, and only was on it a little over a month-i truely feel it was b/c of the Arava...but then again...it could have just been pure accident too. I was also very close to starting the Remicade at the same time-which i couldn't because of the infection, but i took that infection as a sign at that time-as to not do the remicade at all. And when i was talkin with my p/c doctor about it, i said...i am beginning to think that maybe i shouldn't do the Remicade-b/c i have a feeling i will get infection after infection. Then he shook his head yes in total agreement with me, and said that-about the rejection drugs. And also the visit i had with him before that vist-when i first told him that i was going to try the Remicade, he then said...that i will be on antibiotics all the time!!!

It is so very confussing i know. Because you hear of a lot of good things with these biologics-how they really help them, and then you hear the bad...so i know what you are going through-and it is a very rough desision to have to make.

I wish you all the luck in your desision-i'm still in limbo on this too!

Cheryl

dryeyes2

5/15/09 11:30am

Oh, i forgot to add-that after he said that to me-about every patient he every had who was on those rejection drugs had got cancer...then i said...i'm not taking "it" then-(meaning the Remicade)-he said..."Your making the right choice"

And then you have my Rheumatologist-who say's...You have to think about the quallity of life-Not the quantitiee!

So there ya have it-that's why i'm so confused.

Scooby

6/28/09 1:06pm

Hi Cheryl, Thanks for responding to this. I am currently taking 1/2 dose (0.5 ml per week) of liquid Methotrexate in the hopes that my CEA (rectal cancer test) levels would decrease. Instead, they continue to climb. My next choice is to stop the medication and be on NOTHING at all. I'm doing well on 1/2 dose as I now have a much less stressful job, but it is scary to think of going to nothing. How I can remember the pain I was in for 2 years and don't want to go back to that again!

I am glad to know that others have this same concern as I do. The doctors don't really want to talk about the side effects even though they know we are always at risk. I guess it's like a Roulette wheel...some of us get cancer, and some of us don't. I think the pain level determines whether you can take it or not. And I also hope that due to the biologics that I took for over a year, perhaps it put my RA into remission. It's a true guessing game!

dryeyes2

6/29/09 8:55am

Yes..it is a guessing game. And i diffinatly don't want to be without any RA meds either, that would be disasteroius to say the least-b/c of the pain and what the inflamation can do to our whole bodys-including the heart! For me..it's just deciding on the biologic's, i figure i will know if i'm ready or not to take it. Right now i'm back on the metho shots, and the doctor wants to wait a bit longer-to make sure that infection doesn't come back-before the Remicade that is. But that is also a big "IF" i am ready!

Q: Link between RA and Cancer

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