I developed Breast Cancer while taking Embrel. Please be careful while taking this medication it can cause solid tumors (breast, colon, prostate, lung).
Doctors are not reporting this to the FDA because they are not aware of the relationship.
I do not have a family history, mammograms were normal. Six tumors found on MRI of breast and all biopsy positive. Bilateral mastectomy performed.
I hope you or your family, (or your oncologist - you and your family have enough to worry about) reported this to the FDA yourselves? Your rheumy should have reported it whether they thought it was connected to the Enbrel or not - I'm shocked they didn't. In fact, because Enbrel is a biologic, reporting is mandatory in your case. They could get in trouble. (I hope they do!)
You can report adverse reactions online through MedWatch (you don't need a doctor):
[url]https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm[/url]
This was reported to the FDA by my Rheumotologist. There seems to be a lot of cancer with Enbrel but physicians are not always reporting it because they do not see the connection. It is only manditory for the pharmacutical company to report.
I developed Breast Cancer while taking Embrel. Please be careful while taking this medication it can cause solid tumors (breast, colon, prostate, lung).
Doctors are not reporting this to the FDA because they are not aware of the relationship.
I do not have a family history, mammograms were normal. Six tumors found on MRI of breast and all biopsy positive. Bilateral mastectomy performed.
My mother has been taking Embrel for RA for the past year. Monday she was diagnosed with breast cancer. No family history of cancer either. She is going in for more tests/surgery tomorrow. When I asked doctor if Embrel could have caused cancer, he got funny look on his face and did not give me a solid answer.
There is some evidence that some of the new anti-rheumatics can cause cancer, however, people with severe autoimmune disease are at higher risk of cancer to begin with.
For any particular person, it is impossible to say whether the cancer was caused by the drug, or if it would have occurred anyway. A year is actually a pretty short time in the timeline of cancer development.
I hope your mother's treatment goes well.
Last edited by janewhite1; 04-16-2009 at 06:01 PM.
Reason: Add things.
My mother has been taking Embrel for RA for the past year. Monday she was diagnosed with breast cancer. No family history of cancer either. She is going in for more tests/surgery tomorrow. When I asked doctor if Embrel could have caused cancer, he got funny look on his face and did not give me a solid answer.
This needs to be reported to the FDA. You can report it yourself on the web. This needs to be reported just because she developed breast cancer while taking the drug. The FDA needs to know how many people develope cancer while taking an Anti-TNF for the records. You do not need to leave your mothers name and her identity will not be known. Your doctor should also report it. These things are not being reported so a lot of people are developing cancer while taking these drugs and nobody know it. PLEASE REPORT TO FDA,
I was on Enbrel and before I was taking this medicine my Ra talked to me and explained that Lymphoma is a rare side effect from taking Enbrel.
I did a lots of research and found out that most RA medication: Enbrel, Orensia, Humura may cause lymphoma or in very rare situation other cancers may occur. So obviously research was done a while ago on these type medication and you can read about side effects on instructions which comes in a box with meds in it.
One thing I know for sure: it proven already that before breast cancer shows on mammogram or MRI it stays in a body for at least 4-5 years! So this is a big question if cancer would occure anyway, without Enbrel....
My sister in law has nobody in her family ever had cancer; she had never taking Enbrel or any medication at all in her life and guess what? Last year she was Dx with agressive type of breast cancer. She was told by her oncologist that at least for 4-5 years she has it and only now this tumor appeared on pictures... very scary, is in it?
So I wouldn't panic at all about it. Just be careful, go for your blood work and watch how you feel. After all nobody knows our bodies better than we do...
All the best to all of you!
