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Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Getting the latest healthcare news for you
Good news for IBD patients on newer meds: cancer risk stays low no matter the drug class. A large real-world study found that patients with inflammatory bowel disease on TNF antagonists, vedolizumab, anti-IL therapies, or JAK inhibitors all faced similarly low cancer incidence — with no class standing out as riskier than the others.
IBD treatments and cancer risk: no need to panic
A new real-world study offers reassurance for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and their doctors: the risk of developing cancer is low and broadly similar across all major advanced therapy classes. Researchers analyzed data from nearly 16,000 IBD patients treated between 2016 and 2023, comparing cancer incidence among those on TNF antagonists, vedolizumab, anti-interleukin (anti-IL) agents, and JAK inhibitors.
After adjusting for baseline differences, none of the newer drug classes showed a meaningfully higher cancer risk compared to TNF antagonists — the long-established benchmark. The most common cancers observed were prostate, breast, and colorectal cancers, along with hematologic malignancies like essential thrombocythemia and lymphoma.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Cancer concerns have historically influenced treatment decisions in IBD. These findings suggest that fear of malignancy alone shouldn't steer clinicians away from newer therapies — though individualized risk assessment and ongoing cancer surveillance remain essential.
