Background: Secukinumab is a monoclonal antibody against interleukin 17 approved for patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and psoriasis. Treating axSpA and PsA patients with a history of malignancy is a challenge. While initial results on the applicability of secukinumab in this patient group are positive, the number of studies on this topic remains limited. This study aimed to investigate the drug’s survival time and the efficacy and safety of secukinumab treatment in this specific patient group. Methods: This retrospective study included 30 patients with a history of malignancy who were followed up in rheumatology outpatient clinics in 12 centers throughout Turkey and treated with secukinumab between May 2018 and March 2024 with a diagnosis of axSpA and PsA. Results: The mean follow-up time was 29.8 ± 19.3 months. The drug retention rate was 89.7% after 12 months and 80.6% after 24 months. The most common tumor in our study was papillary thyroid carcinoma (n = 5, 16.7%). During follow-up, local tumor recurrence was observed in a patient with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. Conclusions: In the largest cohort reported to date, treatment with secukinumab in axSpA and PsA patients with a history of malignancy was not shown to cause oncologic recurrence except for one local tumor recurrence. Drug retention rates were also high, and disease activation and function improved compared to baseline. Therefore, secukinumab could be a safe and effective option for this patient group.

Background/Objectives: Delayed diagnosis in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is associated with significant health consequences. We hypothesize that musculoskeletal (MSK) surgery rates may be higher during the diagnostic delay period. This study aimed to compare the frequency of MSK surgeries in PsA patients during the period of diagnostic delay with the frequency of MSK surgeries post-diagnosis. Methods: This retrospective cohort study included PsA patients who fulfilled CASPAR criteria and were followed up on in our outpatient clinic. The pre-diagnosis symptomatic period was considered as the period of diagnostic delay. Data on MSK surgeries were obtained from patient records. The annual number of surgeries was calculated separately for the diagnostic delay and post-diagnosis periods. Results: The study included 84 PsA patients. The mean diagnostic delay in PsA patients was 7.49 years. During this period, 27.4% of patients underwent at least one MSK surgery. The mean annual number of MSK surgeries was significantly higher during the diagnostic delay period compared to the post-diagnosis period (Z = −3.18, p = 0.001, r = 0.35). Conclusions: Following PsA diagnosis, a reduction in MSK surgery rates was observed compared to during the diagnostic delay period. This suggests that inflammatory symptoms in PsA patients, which could have been managed with medical therapy, may have led to avoidable MSK surgeries. These findings highlight the potential for early diagnosis to reduce the rate of musculoskeletal surgery and associated healthcare costs.

Objectives: This study evaluated the relationship between the haemoglobin-albumin-lymphocyte-platelet (HALP) score and disease activity in patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and compared HALP scores between PsA patients and healthy controls. Methods: This single-centre, cross-sectional study included 73 PsA patients and 59 healthy controls. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data were collected. Disease activity was assessed using the Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) based on C-reactive protein (CRP), the Disease Activity index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI), the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). HALP was calculated as haemoglobin × albumin × lymphocyte / platelet. Group comparisons, correlation analyses and ROC analyses were performed. Results: Compared with controls, PsA patients had higher CRP, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and platelet values, and lower albumin (all P<0.05). HALP scores did not differ significantly between groups (P=0.232). HALP correlated positively with age at diagnosis (r = 0.250; P=0.031) and negatively with ASDAS-CRP (r = −0.259; P=0.026). ROC analysis showed limited diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.561, P=0.228). Conclusions: Although HALP showed a significant inverse correlation with ASDAS-CRP, the association was weak and its diagnostic performance was poor. HALP alone has limited value in reflecting PsA disease activity or distinguishing patients from controls. This may relate to PsA’s heterogeneous inflammation and treatment status. Larger prospective studies in different PsA subgroups are needed to clarify the potential role of HALP as an objective biomarker.

Background: Secukinumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin (IL)-17A and is used to treat axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Treating axSpA and PsA can be challenging in patients with comorbidities. In this multicenter retrospective study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of secukinumab treatment in patients with axSpA and PsA who had a history of tuberculosis, multiple sclerosis (MS), or congestive heart failure (CHF). Methods: The study included 44 patients with a diagnosis of axSpA and PsA and a history of tuberculosis, MS, or CHF who received secukinumab treatment at 13 centers in our country. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (CRP), Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index, Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score CRP, visual analog scale, and Disease Activity Score-28 CRP markers at months 0, 3, and 12 of secukinumab treatment were analyzed. Alongside this, tuberculosis, MS, and CHF were evaluated at follow-up using clinical assessments and imaging methods such as chest radiographs, brain magnetic resonance, and echocardiography. Results: A statistically significant improvement in inflammatory markers and disease activity scores was observed in patients treated with secukinumab. There was no reactivation in patients with a history of tuberculosis. In most MS patients, the disease was stable, while clinical and radiological improvement was observed in one patient. No worsening of CHF stage was observed in patients with a history of CHF. Conclusions: With regular clinical monitoring, secukinumab may be an effective and safe treatment option for axSpA and PsA patients with a history of tuberculosis, MS, or CHF.

Sjögren’s syndrome (SjS) is a chronic autoimmune disorder characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of the exocrine glands, which can also affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, hepatobiliary system, and pancreatic exocrine tissues. Approximately one-third of patients experience GI-related symptoms, with xerostomia, dysphagia, dyspepsia, and atrophic gastritis being the most commonly reported manifestations. SjS is also associated with autoimmune liver diseases, including autoimmune hepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis. Pancreatic involvement is less frequent, but may present as autoimmune pancreatitis or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. The complexity of SjS and the variety of its manifestations underscore the importance of a multidisciplinary management approach, where collaboration among healthcare professionals is crucial for optimising patient outcomes.

Background/Objectives: This study investigates whether a patient’s clinical status influences the evaluation of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) radiographs. Methods: The study involved analysing SIJ radiographs of patients diagnosed with spondyloarthritis (SpA) at our clinic. Two rheumatologists working at another centre evaluated the images independently. Three months were allowed to elapse so that the rheumatologists would forget the results of the first evaluation. The radiographs were then re-evaluated in a different order by the same rheumatologists. However, during the second evaluation, the evaluators were also provided with general clinical information about the patients. Inter- and intra-observer agreement were assessed. Results: In the first blinded evaluation of our study, we found moderate-to-substantial agreement between rheumatologists (right κ: 0.534; p < 0.001; left κ: 0.609; p < 0.001) and statistically significant interpretation agreement. In the second evaluation, we observed an increase in agreement (κ increased from 0.534 to 0.774 for the right SIJ and from 0.609 to 0.855 for the left SIJ), and these metrics were also significant. Conclusions: The interpretation of SIJ radiographs showed notable inter-observer variability in the absence of clinical information. Incorporating clinical context significantly improved the agreement between readers. As conventional radiography remains central to spondyloarthritis classification, these findings highlight the value of clinical data in enhancing the reliability of radiographic assessment. To our knowledge, this is the first study to systematically demonstrate the impact of clinical information on inter-observer agreement in SIJ radiograph interpretation.