Cancer Risk in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

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Bernatsky and colleagues have shown cancer risk factors in incident systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Researchers analyzed an SLE cohort of 1,668 patients, over an average of 9 years follow-up and found 65 cancers: 15 breast; 10 nonmelanoma skin; 7 lung; 6 hematologic; 6 prostate; 5 melanoma; 3 cervical; 3 renal; 2 each gastric, head and neck, and thyroid; and, 1 each rectal, sarcoma, thymoma, and uterine cancers.

Abatacept After Ustekinumab Withdrawal in Active Plaque Psoriasis

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A randomized controlled trial has shown that treatment of plaque psoriasis via costimulatory blockade ( CD28/B7) with abatacept did not prevent psoriasis relapse after withdrawal of ustekinumab.

TNF Dose Reduction Succeeds in PsA, Axial Spondyloarthritis

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Patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) who were doing well on treatment with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors were able to successfully taper the therapy when guided by disease activity, a retrospective cohort study found.

Hepatitis B Reactivation with Rituximab and Abatacept

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Hepatitis B reactivation is an uncommon complication of biologic therapy use. Now, a serologic study of  rheumatoid arthritis patients shows that HBV reactivation is seen with rituximab, and less so with abatacept, especially in patients without hepatitis B antibody (HBsAb) positivity.

RETRO - Taper or Not: You Decide

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A prospective, phase 3 trial of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in sustained remission has shown more than half will flare if disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) therapy is tapered or discontinued and that remission is best maintained by continued DMARD therapy.

FDA Approves Avacopan for ANCA-Associated Vasculitis

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October 8, 2021 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved avacopan (trade name: Taveneos), an oral complement 5a receptor inhibitor, as an adjunctive treatment of adult patients with severe active anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis).

RheumNow Podcast – #ACA: Ask Cush Anything (10.8.2021)

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Arthritis numbers are rising, and people are finally talking about osteoarthritis. Also, ACR 2021 is just a few weeks away - are you ready? Finally, I'll review cases and questions submitted by viewers in Ask Cush Anything (#ACA). This, and nearly a dozen news items and reports, are discussed in this week's podcast. Let's begin.

Clinical Associations with Myositis Antibodies

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While myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs) and myositis-associated autoantibodies (MAAs) may have prognostic value through their clinical associations, many patients will not have them and overall, they are poorly predictive of a malignancy risk. 

Prevalence of Arthritis Rising in the USA

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The latest CDC estimates of the national prevalence of arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitations (AAAL) show a continued increase in absolute number: 58.5 million (23.7%) U.S. adults have arthritis, 25.7 million (43.9%) of whom have AAAL. 

Erosive Hand Osteoarthritis Portends Worse OA

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An erosive hand osteoarthritis (EOA) study from the Osteoarthritis Initiative shows that EOA is more common in older women and is strongly linked to further progressive, articular structural damage. This was a longitudinal cohort study of 3,365 individuals without prevalent erosive hand OA at baseline.

Pathways to a Psoriatic Arthritis Diagnosis

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Ogdie and colleagues have retrospectively analyzed a longitudinal cohort of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients, showing that only two-thirds of PsA are diagnosed by rheumatologists, PCPs and dermatologists, with significant differences in what preemptive symptoms were noted by different subspecialties.

Malnutrition and Quality of Life in Elderly RA Patients

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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) imparts a significant disabilty and quality of life (QoL) limitations worsened by aging, but also by malnutrition.