Blood: blood cancer drugs may be useful in rheumatoid arthritis

In the search for the genetic causes of a form of rheumatoid arthritis, scientists have discovered mutations common to the disease and blood cancers. The findings are published in the journal Blood.

The seronegative subtype of rheumatoid arthritis differs from the more common forms in that it cannot be detected by routine blood tests. In their search for causes of the disease, scientists discovered that many patients with blood cancers (myelodysplasia and acute myeloid leukaemia) have seronegative arthritis.

The analysis showed that mutations in the IDH1 and IDH2 genes, which are common in people with blood cancers, can also cause inflammation. It is likely to lead to the development of arthritis symptoms.

The findings mean that drugs commonly prescribed to blood cancer patients may also be effective for certain forms of arthritis.

"These findings are just the tip of the iceberg in the link we are seeing between autoimmune diseases and blood cancers," the scientists said.

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