Case Report
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World J Gastroenterol. May 21, 2014; 20(19): 5912-5917
Published online May 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i19.5912
TNF inhibitors to treat ulcerative colitis in a metastatic breast cancer patient: A case report and literature review
Ruwaida Ben Musa, Lydia Usha, John Hibbeln, Ece A Mutlu
Ruwaida Ben Musa, Graduate College, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
Lydia Usha, Division of Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplant, Department of Medicine, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
John Hibbeln, Department of Radiology, Rush University, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
Ece A Mutlu, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Rush University, Rush Medical College, Chicago, IL 60612, United States
Author contributions: Ben Musa R acquired, analyzed, and interpreted the data; Hibbeln J prepared and provided the radiology images; Ben Musa R wrote the paper; Usha L and Mutlu EA revised the paper critically for intellectual content; Mutlu EA gave final approval of the version to be published.
Correspondence to: Ece A Mutlu, MD, MS, MBA, Associate Professor of Medicine, IBD Program Director, Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Rush University, Rush Medical College, 1725 W, Harrison, Suite 206, Chicago, IL 60612, United States. ece_mutlu@rush.edu
Telephone: +1-312-5633880 Fax: +1-312-5633883
Received: November 1, 2013
Revised: December 2, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: May 21, 2014
Processing time: 198 Days and 6.6 Hours
Core Tip

Core tip: Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors are widely-used and effective treatments for many autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis. However, it is believed that TNF-α inhibitors may also place patients at increased risk of cancer occurrence or recurrence. Many studies report increased risk of cancer following exposure to TNF-α inhibitors, but little has been reported for patients with cancer, receiving anti-TNF-α treatment. This is the first case of metastatic breast cancer in long term remission for 3 years in a patient treated with TNF-α inhibitors for ulcerative colitis, suggesting that patients with metastatic cancer could be treated with this class of medications without worsening.