Melanoma

[Lynette65]

I take sulfasalazine and just had a melanoma removed .. does this medication cause it ?l

[Doughnut61]

I hope not !!

[Nuttyshirlz]

I hope not too.

[Hidden]

The medication suppresses your immune system and that will carry certain risks.

[helixhelix]

Having rheumatoid arthritis does in itself put you at a very slightly greater risk of melanoma I believe. And while sulphasalazine doesn't cause melanoma it can also very slightly increase risks.

But these are tiny increases in risks. The main cause of melanoma by far is excess exposure to sunlight, especially if you are fair skinned & freckled, have had sunburn or used sun beds in the past. Or have a family history of it.

Cancer UK states that:

"Melanoma skin cancer is the 5th most common cancer overall in the UK. Skin cancer rates are more than 4 times higher than they were in the late 1970’s in Great Britain".

[Lynette65 in reply to helixhelix]

yes my mom died with it when she was 40 so I am high risk

[helixhelix in reply to Lynette65]

Very sorry to hear that, especially her being so young. I presume you take precautions and get checked regularly, so try to minimise your risks. I doubt whether sulphasalazine would make much of a difference, but if you are concerned do raise it with your rheumatologist.

[AgedCrone]

When I had breast cancer I asked my oncologist what she thought had caused it.......she replied "We'll never know.....just concentrate on getting well"!

Very good advice I thought....so here I am15 years later cancer free & getting on with my life.

[dbestdeb]

According to my rheumatologist, all of these immune suppressing drugs increase the risk of cancer to some degree, but then so does the high inflammation of untreated RA. Sulfasalazine instructions tell you to stay out of the sun while using it. When I was on it, we took a 3 day holiday to the beach and even with sunscreen on all day my skin turned a deeper brown that it has ever been —-and I grew up at the beach.

Talk to your doctor and decide from there whether you should stay on it. Best wishes to you.