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FDA Medwatch Alert: Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blockers, Azathioprine and/or Mercaptopurine: Update on Reports of Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma in Adolescents and Young Adults
Posted 6 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
[UPDATED 11/04/2011] Healthcare professionals should remain vigilant for cases of malignancy in patients treated with TNF blockers, and report such cases to MedWatch. The reports should include: patient characteristics (age, gender, no patient identifiers) risk factors for malignancy exposure to other immune suppressing products or products with risk of malignancy indication for TNF blocker treatment TNF blocker exposure (duration, dose) cancer diagnosis (date of diagnosis, stage) biopsy results outcomes of malignancy (treatments, event outcome) [Posted 04/14/2011] ISSUE: FDA continues to receive reports of a rare cancer of white blood cells (known as Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma or HSTCL, primarily in adolescents and young adults being treated for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis with medicines known as tumor necrosis factors (TNF) blockers, as well as with azathioprine, ... Read more
Related support groups: Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Imuran, Cimzia, Azathioprine, Simponi, Mercaptopurine, Etanercept, Infliximab, Adalimumab, Golimumab, Purinethol, Azasan, Certolizumab
Cancer Patients Should Ask Doctors to Use Simple Terms
Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – Cancer patients are often faced with many difficult-to-understand treatment choices that can have serious side effects and even mean the difference between life and death. That's why it's crucial that patients insist doctors use plain language in explaining the options, advised Angela Fagerlin, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a researcher at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. "People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," Fagerlin said in a university news release. She and her colleagues outlined a number of tips to help patients get the information they need ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Accutane, Depo-Provera, Prostate Cancer, Tamoxifen, Femara, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Medroxyprogesterone, Claravis, Fluorouracil
FDA Medwatch Alert: Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) blockers, Azathioprine and/or Mercaptopurine: Update on Reports of Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma in Adolescents and Young Adults
Posted 16 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
[Posted 04/14/2011] ISSUE: FDA continues to receive reports of a rare cancer of white blood cells (known as Hepatosplenic T-Cell Lymphoma or HSTCL, primarily in adolescents and young adults being treated for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis with medicines known as tumor necrosis factors (TNF) blockers, as well as with azathioprine, and/or mercaptopurine. TNF blockers include Remicade (infliximab), Enbrel (etanercept), Humira (adalimumab), Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) and Simponi (golimumab). BACKGROUND: HSTCL is an aggressive (fast-growing) cancer and is usually fatal. The majority of cases reported were in patients being treated for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, but also included a patient being treated for psoriasis and two patients being treated for rheumatoid arthritis. FDA is now updating the number of reported cases of HSTCL. Although most reported cases of HSTCL oc ... Read more
Related support groups: Enbrel, Humira, Remicade, Imuran, Cimzia, Azathioprine, Simponi, Mercaptopurine, Etanercept, Infliximab, Adalimumab, Golimumab, Purinethol, Azasan, Certolizumab
Drugs for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Might Increase Cancer Risk
Posted 16 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 19 – The use of thiopurine drugs to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increases the risk of cancers related to viral infection, according to a new study. IBD includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Thiopurine drugs are used to suppress the immune system in order to maintain remission in IBD patients. For this study, French researchers analyzed data on 19,486 IBD patients (60 percent with Crohn's and 40 percent with ulcerative colitis or unclassified IBD) who were followed for a median of 35 months. At the start of the study, 30 percent of patients were taking thiopurines, 14 percent had discontinued them, and 56 percent had never received thiopurines. During the study, 23 patients developed malignant lymphoproliferative disorders (LD) – cancers that are associated with viral infection, particularly those linked to Epstein Barr virus (EBV) infection. Of the ... Read more
Related support groups: Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease -- Maintenance, Imuran, Crohn's Disease -- Acute, Ulcerative Colitis -- Active, Ulcerative Colitis -- Maintenance, Azathioprine, Mercaptopurine, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Azasan, Purinethol, Thioguanine, Tabloid
Bowel Disease Treatment May Raise Skin Cancer Risk
Posted 2 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 26 – Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients who are being treated with immunosuppressive medications may be at increased risk for non-melanoma skin cancer, a new U.S. study says. Researchers analyzed data on 26,403 Crohn's disease patients and 26,974 patients with ulcerative colitis in order to evaluate how the use of immunosuppressive and biologic medications to treat IBD affected non-melanoma skin cancer risk. The study found that the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer was higher in IBD patients than in a control group. Recent use (within 90 days) of any immunosuppressive medication was associated with greater risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (adjusted odds ratio 3.28), as was recent use of the thiopurine class of immunosuppressive medications (adjusted odds ratio 3.56) and recent use of biologic medications in Crohn's disease patients (adjusted odds ratio 2.07). ... Read more
Related support groups: Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease -- Maintenance, Imuran, Crohn's Disease -- Acute, Ulcerative Colitis -- Active, Ulcerative Colitis -- Maintenance, Azathioprine, Mercaptopurine, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Azasan, Purinethol, Thioguanine, Tabloid
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Crohn's Disease -- Maintenance, Ulcerative Colitis -- Maintenance, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Crohn's Disease -- Acute, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Intestinal Arterial Insufficiency, Inflammatory Bowel Disease