Key clinical point: Fostamatinib use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) was not associated with an overall increased risk of developing neoplasms compared with placebo. However, prolonged use may raise the risk for malignant neoplasms.
Major finding: Fostamatinib vs. placebo was not associated with an increased risk for total neoplasms (Peto odds ratio [OR] 2.62; 95% CI 0.97-7.10), malignant neoplasms (Peto OR 3.08; 95% CI 0.96-9.91), or benign neoplasms (Peto OR 1.71; 95% CI 0.26-11.36). However, long-term fostamatinib treatment vs. placebo was associated with a higher risk for malignant neoplasms at 52 weeks (Peto OR 4.49; 95% CI 1.03-19.60).
Study details: This was a meta-analysis of seven trials including 4,971 patients with RA treated with fostamatinib.
Disclosures: This study was supported by Post-doctoral Research and Development Fund of West China Hospital of Sichuan University and others. The authors declared no conflict of interests.
Source: Chan Y et al. Neoplasm risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with fostamatinib: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:768980 (Mar 2). Doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.768980