RA and Non-RA Patients Regularly Screened for Breast, Cervical, and Colon Cancer
New research reveals that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients do not
receive fewer cancer screening tests than the general population.
Results of the study, funded in part by grants from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in Arthritis
& Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of
Rheumatology (ACR), found that RA and non-RA patients receive routine
screening for breast, cervical, and colon cancer at similar rates.
The ACR estimates that 1.3 million adult Americans are affected by RA—a
chronic autoimmune disease characterized by systemic inflammation of the
joints that over time may damage joints, impair daily function, and
cause significant disability. Medical evidence confirms that despite
early and aggressive treatment, RA patients have a decreased life
expectancy compared to the general population. Previous research reports
that cancer is one of the main causes of death for RA patients and
patients with chronic disease may not receive preventive medical
services including regular screenings for cancer.
“Early detection of common cancers can improve morbidity and mortality
rates in those with chronic illnesses, such as RA,” said Dr. Seoyoung C.
Kim with the Division of Rheumatology and Division of
Pharmacoepidemiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass.
“Cancer screening tests are important in detecting malignancies at early
stages for both chronically ill and healthy populations.”
To further understand barriers to preventative medical care and raise
awareness of the importance of early cancer screenings, Dr. Kim and
colleagues examined screening rates for breast, cervical and colon
cancer in RA patient compared to those without the disease. Using claims
data from a major insurance provider, the team identified 13,314
patients with RA patients and 212,324 non-RA patients.
Analysis shows that on average both RA and non-RA groups were screened
once every three years for cervical cancer and every two years for
breast cancer. Among all participants 50 years and older, 12% of RA
patients and 10% of non-RA patients had at least one colonoscopy each
year. Women with RA were more likely to have an annual Pap smear,
mammogram, fecal occult blood (FOB) test and colonoscopy than those
without RA. Male RA patients were also more likely to have a colonoscopy
compared to than those without RA.
“Our findings indicate that RA patients were regularly screened for
cervical, breast and colon cancer as recommended by the American Cancer
Society,” concludes Dr. Kim. “Cancer screenings rates among patients
with RA were similar to the general population, which is different than
previously published results. However, these earlier studies did not
compare rates of cancer screenings in RA patients with a non-RA group.”
The authors suggest that patients and physicians be aware of the
importance of preventive healthcare in patients with chronic diseases
such as RA. They caution that results of this should not be generalized
to those without medical insurance.
