It has long been a subject of much debate the pros and cons of steroid treatment in rheumatoid arthritis. Various side effects of long term steroid treatment made its use often limited. However, a new aspect of steroid treatment was found in the data result of the Uppsala University Hospital in Sweden.According to the data presented at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Barcelona, Spain, two years or more of oral steroid treatment decreases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis related lymphoma. The duration of rheumatoid arthritis at initiation of steroid treatment was found to be insignificant. However, if the steroids were taken for less than two years, then the beneficial side effects do not apply.

The study involved patients taken from the Swedish Hospital Register and the Cancer Register. They were compared with patients afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis without lymphoma. The risk of rheumatoid arthritis related lymphoma was more reduced in patients treated with steroids for over two years than those who received treatment for less than two years. The most pronounced protective steroidal effect was seen in the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma subtype. This type is most commonly associated with rheumatoid arthritis with grades 1 to 3.

According to Dr. Eva Baecklund:

“The pros and cons of corticosteroid treatment in rheumatoid arthritis have been a subject of much debate and long term steroid treatment is often limited as a result of concerns about various side effects. What our data show is a new aspect of steroid treatment. Patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis are at increased risk for malignant lymphomas (cancer in the immune system), but long term steroid treatment may decrease this risk.”

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