Among women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), immunosuppressive drugs may be associated with a greater, albeit not statistically significant, risk of high-grade cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer compared to patients receiving hydroxychloroquine alone, a recent study found. Researchers identified SLE patients initiating immunosuppressive drugs or hydroxychloroquine using claims data from 2 US commercial health plans and Medicaid (2000–2012). They included 2,451 matched pairs of immunosuppressive drugs and hydroxychloroquine new users in the commercial cohort and 7,690 matched pairs in Medicaid. They found:

• In the commercial cohort, there were 14 cases of cervical dysplasia or cervical cancer among immunosuppressive drug users and 5 cases among hydroxychloroquine users.
• In Medicaid, there were 46 cases among immunosuppressive drug users and 29 cases in hydroxychloroquine users.
• The pooled hazard ratio of immunosuppressive drugs was 1.40.