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Can Remicade Cause Hstcl?
Hello!I am a 22 year old male with Crohn's Disease and have been in the hospital recently due to complications from a flare. I was diagnosed in December of 2008 and have had a couple of pain flares since then, but this last one was very difficult to get through. My little sister passed away two weeks ago (from an unknown auto-immune issue) and I imagine that did not help. My current GI doctor wants to put me on Remicade for the treatment of Crohn's. I am reading where HSTCL is popping up in patients who take Remicade and who have also taken Azathioprine (my current course of treatment), particularly in young adult males, and I was wondering what kind of serious dangers I would be in from starting this drug. Is it worth it? Is the cancer sudden and fatal?-Dalton
Tue, 3 Mar 2015
Good morning
Sorry to hear about your ill health
Although rare, both the drugs can cause increased risk of lymphomas and certain skin cancers.
Remicade comes into the category of Biological (anti TNF molecule) therapy.
Depending on the disease severity this medication is selected by the treating physician for far better control of the disease compared to older medications like azathioprine.
But what you should understand that a medication is selected by its risk-benefit ratio at a given point of time. So i am sure your physician has selected this medication based on his clinical analysis.
If I were your treating doctor, I would consider humira (adalimumab) injections instead of remicade. The reason is the former one is a fixed dose medication and involves a simple subcutaneous injection which can be learnt easily and taken at home itself.
Hope I have answered your question and would be happy to answer your future queries
Wish you a speed y recovery
Sorry to hear about your ill health
Although rare, both the drugs can cause increased risk of lymphomas and certain skin cancers.
Remicade comes into the category of Biological (anti TNF molecule) therapy.
Depending on the disease severity this medication is selected by the treating physician for far better control of the disease compared to older medications like azathioprine.
But what you should understand that a medication is selected by its risk-benefit ratio at a given point of time. So i am sure your physician has selected this medication based on his clinical analysis.
If I were your treating doctor, I would consider humira (adalimumab) injections instead of remicade. The reason is the former one is a fixed dose medication and involves a simple subcutaneous injection which can be learnt easily and taken at home itself.
Hope I have answered your question and would be happy to answer your future queries
Wish you a speed y recovery
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