A case of Etanercept-associated malignant lymphoma in a patient with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory polyarthritis that is associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, infection, lymphoma, and life expectancy. Several studies have shown that patients with RA have a 23x increased risk of developing lymphomas as compared with the general population. TNF- antagonist therapy might be independently associated with an increased risk of lymphoma; however, other studies have shown that the risk of lymphoma is increased in RA patients with severe disease activity rather than the treatment per se. We experienced a 65-year-old woman who developed Etanercept–associated malignant lymphoma with rheumatoid arthritis.