Etanercept and breast cancer
Steven C. Shapiro, MD
October 6, 2008
Question:
I have a patient who had been on etanercept 50 mg for the past 4 years with good control of her psoriasis. She was recently diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) breast cancer and no lymph node involvement. She underwent mastectomy without concomitant treatment. I discontinued etanercept, but my patient has experienced a return of her psoriasis. Can etanercept be used in this patient if she is not undergoing chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or other therapy for her cancer and her oncologist said she is “cancer-free”? Answer:
General consensus on the use of etanercept after breast cancer would be to wait a minimum of 5 cancer-free years before using etanercept. It would not be advisable to use anti–tumor necrosis factor biologics on any individual with a history of a malignancy if that individual has not been free of the malignancy for a minimum of 5 years. The literature is rife with reports of breast cancer patients who did not receive adjunctive therapy and then developed a new malignancy within 5 years. It would be best to treat this patient’s psoriasis, at this time, with light therapy, topicals, or other systemic agents.
 Ask the Expert Home
|
 |
|
