It is well known that ANCA-associated vasculitides can be hard to control and relapses are common. The choice of maintenance therapy is rather limited and therapies are not always effective.

It has been long known that rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increased mortality rate, especially in seropositive patients and those with extraarticular manifestations.

Dr Jack Cush reviews highlights from the news and journal articles appearing this week on RheumNow.com:

Three new FDA approvals, proteomics, cancer, infectious risk, nonadherence and disappointing clinical trial results covered in this RheumNow Week in Review.

A review of this week's news including the cost of opioid abuse, a RTX biosimilar, a new drug for scleroderma, a new shingles vaccine and a CPAP disappointment.

Updates and journal articles on opioids, drug induced sarcoidosis, cancer and cancer recurrence risks with TNF inhibitors and biologics, and FDA labeling changes.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the past week on RheumNow.com, including IBD/TNFi and cancer risk, fracture nonunion, PMR worse in women, not treating asymptomatic hyperuricemia, and shingles followed by stroke.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews news and journal reports from the past week on RheumNow.com.

Current guidelines regarding the use of biologics in patients who have previously had a malignancy are based more on opinion than evidence.

Dr. Cush reviews the RheumNow.com highlights in rheumatology for the week ending 19 August 2016.

Myelodysplastic syndrome may infrequently present with inflammatory or autoimmune symptoms. This literature review shows a variety of presentations and treatment options for such patients.

Watch Dr. Cush review 13 highlights from this week on RheumNow.

Warnings of cancer, especially lymphoma, have accompanied the development and promotion of tumor necrosis factor inhbitors (TNFi) in the treatment of RA and other inflammatory disorders.

Highlights from this week on RheumNow.com include:

1. Having #RA in addition to solid cancer (breast, lung, prostate, colon) increases mortality rates by 40-50% in elders https://t.co/aitjusmOai
2. The global market for rheumatoid arthritis therapies was $19.9 billion in 2015, expected to reach $21.3B by 2020 https://t.co/d2Sh5C8y9f
3. Half of doctors never heard of MACRA:Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act. Starts on Jan 1st! https://t.co/eYgWBWCw6y Blog:https://t.co/sRKZSOFyNV

And more!

I was truly stunned when it was announced that Glenn Frey, from the Eagles, had died as a result of complications from his rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and pneumonia.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews highlights from the news and social media in the past week on RheumNow.com

Since the introduction of TNF inhibitors nearly 20 years ago, concerns over a potential associated cancer risk have abounded. The recent ACR RA treatment guidelines have addressed this recently, stating that patients with any solid tumor cancer or risk thereof should be treated as if they ha

The EULAR Annual European Congress of Rheumatology meeting was held in London from June 8-11, 2016 and was well attended by thousands. This year’s meeting had over 2,000 poster displays, and the EULAR 2016 Congress presented new recommendations on the management of rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, and fibromyalgia.

Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news, reports and highlights from EULAR and the last 2 weeks from RheumNow.com.

The combined analysis of 130,315 rheumatoid arthritis patients from 11 European registries did not reveal an association between invasive (malignant) melanoma and the use of biologic therapies.