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Infliximab (Remicide) melanoma

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Has anyone had melanoma while on biologic therapy
Melanoma and biologic therapies - 100.0% - 1 votes
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Melanoma and biologic therapies - 0.0% - 0 votes
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Posted 11/10/2020 4:13 PM (GMT -8)
Hi all 🤓

I’ve been on Infliximab (Remicide) infusions since late 2018 after 6 months on and off in hospital and nil response to IV steroids or my previous meds. It has changed my life and allowed me to live life for the first time since I started. I go for 3 monthly skin checks and have a rather olive complexion with no previous suspect skin issues. This week I had a removal of a suspected melanoma and another biopsy on another. I know it’s the biologic medication as I was told to watch my skin and sun exposure. I’m wondering if anyone else has had a melanoma diagnosis and had to switch therapies. I’m going to find out next week the prognosis and stage it’s at.

Meds

Infliximab (Remicide)
Immigran 100mg daily
Sulfasalazine 4g daily
50mg Amiltriptiline daily

Dairy intolerance
Low carb diet
Posted 11/10/2020 5:39 PM (GMT -8)
So sorry to hear what you are going through. IBD is enough to deal with on its own!

I am not on any of these meds, but I found a study on prevalence rates in IBD patients who are taking biologics or immunosuppresants. Absolute risk looks very low for melanoma and higher for CD vs. UC: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065572/?report=reader

Taken from article: "In summary, we found that increased risk of melanoma in patients with IBD is driven by use of anti-TNF biologics, whereas increased risk of NMSC is driven by use of thiopurines. Although we found an association between biologic anti-TNF use and melanoma, the absolute risk of melanoma in patients with IBD remains quite low at 57/100,000 person-years. By comparison, the absolute risk of NMSC was much greater at 912/100,000 person-years."

Post Edited (Jane974) : 11/10/2020 6:51:02 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/10/2020 7:11 PM (GMT -8)
Thanks for the reply Jane974 🤓

I’ve familiarised myself with the research relating to biologic medication and UC/Crohns. I did a fair bit of reading when I was put on this treatment. I really want to touch on person experience and how others have navigated through this and what options are available if the biologic therapy is stopped. I had no quality of life prior to biologic therapy so I’d be interested to know others personal experiences moving forward after melanoma diagnosis.
Posted 11/10/2020 7:51 PM (GMT -8)
It seems very unlikely that it was related to the use of the biologic.

Imuran (azathioprine) is much more associated with possible skin cancer.

I don't think you should even consider stopping your remicade.

All the best.

(I had a bowens disease spot removed, after over ten years on both biologics and imuran. They said it was possible the imuran was partly responsible but unlikely it was the biologic.)
Posted 11/11/2020 12:15 AM (GMT -8)
Hi ambling

Thanks for the info.


🤓🤓
Posted 11/11/2020 12:53 AM (GMT -8)
Infliximab has changed my life to. Nearly a year remission since I been on it. Haven’t had this long term remission in a very long time, so I know for a fact it’s the Biologics. I haven’t had any side affects either. A complete game changer for me.
Posted 11/11/2020 2:55 AM (GMT -8)
Hi Tblock1985 🤓

Good to hear you are getting some quality of life. It started working like 3 days after my first infusion. I’d forgotten what it was like to actually live life, nothing else worked for me. No side effects apart from what I’m going through now. My GI did let me know it’s been related to cancer but when you have nothing you just go with it.
Great to hear you are feeling good on it.
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