medwireNews: Older men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for localized prostate cancer have an elevated risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), shows an analysis of the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and Medicare databases.
Specifically, receipt of ADT was associated with a significant 23% increased RA risk among 105,303 men aged at least 66 years who were diagnosed with stage I–III prostate cancer between 1992 and 2006, which the researchers say is “[c]onsistent with the immunosuppressive properties of androgens.”
As reported in the Annals of Oncology, the risk rose with increasing duration of ADT, such that patients receiving treatment for 1–6 months, 7–12 months, and at least 13 months had a 19%, 29%, and 33% higher RA risk relative to those not given ADT.
“Linking ADT to an increased risk of being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition adds to mounting evidence of the adverse effects of ADT that should prompt physicians to thoughtfully weigh its risks and benefits,” Paul Nguyen (Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA) and colleagues conclude.
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