Arthritis Research Canada at
ACR Convergence 2022
November 13
Research Spotlight
Remitting Seronegative Symmetrical Synovitis with Pitting Edema (RS3PE)-like Syndrome After Immune Checkpoint Inhibition: A CanRIO Study
Medications used to treat cancer by turning on the immune system so it can better fight the cancer also have an increased risk of auto-immune diseases as complications of treatment. One example, is a type of arthritis with inflammation of the small joints of the hands and edema of the limb, called RS3PE. It can occur even after the cancer treatment is stopped and flare after it is restarted. Optimal treatment remains to be determined.
Research Team: Rouhi A, Jamal S, Hudson M, Pope J, Roberts J, Ladouceur A, Hewitt S, Ye C.
To learn more about Arthritis Research Canada research presented at American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2022, please scroll down. We have research on COVID-19 and arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, and much more.
The Impact of Early Antimalarial Adherence on Future Acute Care Utilization Among Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Population-based Study
This study of people with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis across British Columbia found that when people take antimalarial drugs, like hydroxychloroquine, as prescribed, this lowers their risk of needing to use health care services in the future (12% lower risk of hospital admission and 22% reduction in the number of days spent in hospital) compared to when patients don’t take their medications as prescribed.
Research Team: Hoque R, Avina-Zubieta JA, Lacaille D, De Vera M, Qian Y, Esdaile J, Xie H.
Accessing Telehealth and In-Person Healthcare during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
This qualitative study provides valuable insights into how individuals with rheumatoid arthritis experienced seeking health services in British Columbia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings can inform the use of telehealth post-pandemic through addressing patient concerns, personalizing telehealth options, and integrating telehealth into clinical practice for routine check-ups.
Research Team: Ramachandran SO, Leese J, Therrien S, Backman CL, Ma J, English K, Davidson E, McQuitty S, Hoens AM, Koehn C, Gavin J, Adams J, Li LC.
Effect of Tailored Self-Management Interventions on Health Outcomes in Individuals with Chronic Musculoskeletal Conditions
Self-care is an important practice for managing arthritis. There are many programs that supports people to manage the day-to-day arthritis symptoms; most of them work, but the effects are modest. Tailoring is the act of matching care to an individual’s needs, goals, health status and behaviours. This systematic review examined the effectiveness of tailored self-care interventions across health and behavioural outcomes. Findings suggest that tailoring may have additional benefits for pain and self-efficacy, however study designs were diverse, and reporting was inconsistent.
Research Team: Wang E, Rodrigues IB, Li LC.
ANA-positive versus ANA-negative Antiphospholipid Antibody-positive Patients Without Other Systemic Autoimmune Diseases: Clinical and Serological Characteristics, Results from the APS ACTION Clinical Database and Repository
In this large international study following people with antiphospholipid syndrome, a condition that increases the risk of blood clots, having another positive antibody called ANA was associated with a higher rate of abnormalities of blood cells. People with a positive ANAhad a tendency toward a higher rate of arthritis and abnormalities of the small blood vessels. People with a negative ANA had higher rates of clots in the arteries.
Research Team: Cecchi I, Radin M, Grazietta Foddai S, Bertolaccini ML, De Andrade D, Tektonidou M, Pengo V, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Belmont HM, Gerosa M, Fortin P, Lopez-Pedrera C, Zhang Z, Atsumi T, de Jesus G, Cohen H, Kello N, Branch W, Wahl D, Andreoli L, Rodriguez E, Petri M, Barber MRW, Cervera R, Knight J, Artim-Esen B, Willis R, Pons-Estel G, Erkan D, Sciascia S.
Thrombocytopenia and Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in Antiphospholipid Antibody-positive Patients: Descriptive Analysis of the AntiPhospholipid Syndrome Alliance for Clinical Trials and InternatiOnal Networking (APS ACTION) Clinical Database and Repository (“Registry”).
In this large international study of people with a positive antibody (antiphospholipid antibody) which increases the risk of blood clots, one-fifth of people also had a history of low platelets or anemia due to antibodies against blood cells. Half of these patients also had additional features of lupus. They were also more likely to have abnormalities of the small blood vessels and/or of the heart valves, suggesting a more severe clinical phenotype.
Research Team: Erton ZB, Leaf RK, Oliveira de Andrade DC, Barber M, Tektonidou MG, Pengo V, Sciascia S, AUgarte A, Belmont HM, López-Pedrera C, Fortin PR, Gerosa M, de Jesús G, Tatsumi T, Zhang Z, Cohen H, Branch WD, Wahl, Andreoli DL, Rodriguez Almaraz E, Petri MM, Cervera R, Zuo Y, Artim-Esen B, Willis R, Bertolaccini ML, Roubey R, Erkan D, and on behalf of APS ACTION.
Single Antiphospholipid Antibody Positive Thrombotic APS Patients’ Clinical Characteristics: Retrospective Results from the APS ACTION Clinical Database and Repository (Registry)
This international study of people with positive antiphospholipid syndrome without other systemic autoimmune diseases found that approximately one third of patients have only one antibody positive that increases the risk of clotting, and it is most commonly the “lupus anticoagulant” antibody (and approximately one-third of these patients have history of recurrent blood clots).
Research Team:Grazietta Foddai S, Cecchi I, Radin M, De Andrade D, Tektonidou M, Pengo V, Ruiz-Irastorza G, Belmont HM, Gerosa M, Fortin P, Lopez-Pedrera R, Zhang Z, Atsumi T, de Jesus G, Cohen H, Kello N, Branch W, Wahl D, Andreoli L, Rodriguez E, Petri M, Clarke AE, Cervera R, Knight J, Artim-Esen B, Willis R, Pons-Estel G, Erkan D, Roccatello D, Sciascia S.
Identification of Outcome Domains in Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Induced Inflammatory Arthritis and Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Scoping Review by the OMERACT IrAE Working Group
This international group of researchers dedicated to harmonizing how outcomes are measured for research did a review of the literature to identify the important groups of clinical features that need to be captured when trying to define inflammatory arthritis and polymyalgia rheumatica occurring as a side-effect of cancer drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors. In addition to specific manifestations that describe the pathophysiology of the disease, other areas deemed important to measure included the impact of these conditions on daily life, survival and resource use.
Research Team:Ghosh N, Couette N, van Binsbergen W, Weinmann S, Jivanelli B, Shea B, Bass A, Benesova K, Bingham III CO, Calabrese C, Cappelli LC, Chan K, Choy E, Daoussis D, Goodman S, Hudson M, Jamal S, Leipe J, Lopez-Olivo MA, Suarez-Almazor M, van der Laken C, Meara A, Liew D, Kostine M
Prevalence of Autoimmune Conditions in Metastatic Melanoma Patients Starting Checkpoint Inhibitors
Pre-existing autoimmune conditions are present in a considerable number of patients with metastatic melanoma who are treated with a class of cancer medications called immune checkpoint inhibitors. These medications drastically improve outcomes in metastatic melanoma, but adverse events in people with pre-existing autoimmune conditions are a concern and need to be evaluated in future studies.
Research Team: Ladouceur A, De Avila Machado MA, Hudson M, Moura C, Bernatsky S.
Clinically Recognized Depression and Mental Health Treatment in a Single Center Cohort of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis
We studied a group of systemic sclerosis patients over several years. We found more than a quarter of the patients had significant depressive symptoms. Yet, only a minority (20%) of participants with probable depression were not clinically diagnosed or treated for a mental health condition. People with scleroderma who had involvement of their lungs (Shortness of breath), or of their stomach and bowel, were more likely to also experience depression.
Research Team: Savoie M, Poeschla A, Lu N, Zhang Y, Bolster M, Schoenfeld S, Castelino F.
