Study Finds Connection with Inflammation in Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer Risk

In a recent study, a group of researchers reported that patients diagnosed with immune-mediated inflammatory disease (IMID) face a high risk of cancer in the first year after diagnosis; however, that risk gradually declines as inflammation decreases with treatment. 

In this first nationwide Italian study, led by Antonio Giordano, MD, PhD, at the Sbarro Health Research Organization, evidence was collected over five years and included more than 356,000 patients. The team monitored patients with IMID from their initial diagnosis through follow-up, finding the reduction in cancer risk correlated with decreasing inflammation rather than treatment effects alone. They also observed that patients with non-inflammatory diagnoses, such as diffuse connective tissue diseases, did not show the same early elevated cancer risk. 

“The evidence that risk peaks early after diagnosis suggests that chronic inflammation, rather than just treatment, drives oncogenesis,” said Daniela Marotto Puo, MD, of Azienda Socio-Sanitaria Locale della Gallura. “These findings are crucial for implementing standardized, age-stratified cancer surveillance protocols within our clinical practice. Ultimately, this work supports early, aggressive anti-inflammatory strategies as a potential means to mitigate long-term malignancy risks.”