Table 1

Baseline characteristics and crude incidence rate of lymphomas among biologic-naïve, TNFi, rituximab, tocilizumab or abatacept-treated patients with RA

BionaïveTNFiRituximabTocilizumabAbataceptTotal
No. of patients71 08847 864*909420291708*124 997*
Follow-up time (pyrs)322 167242 260*29 81028273352*584 236*
Female (%)72.174.879.080.178.073.7
Age mean (mean range)61.1
(57–62)
55.0
(50–57)
57.9 (58–58)55.9
(55–57)
57.5
(56–58)
58.5
(50–62)
No. of lymphomas288230663533
Incidence per 100 000 pyrs (95% CI)89
(79–100)
81
(70–94)
20
(7–44)
177
(57–413)
60
(7–216)
85
(77–92)
  • *Because of the type of the register these data are missing from RATIO and GISEA, 38 incident TNFi-exposed lymphoma cases (RATIO: 27, GISEA: 11) and one abatacept-exposed patient (GISEA) were for that reason excluded from the calculation of the incidence rate.

  • GISEA, Italian Group for the Study of Early Arthritis; pyrs, patient-years; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; RATIO, French Research Axed on Tolerance of bIOtherapies; TNFi, tumour necrosis factor inhibitor.