(Reuters Health) - The risk of lung cancer is increased in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, even after taking into account the effects of tobacco and asbestos exposure, according to a case-control study in US military veterans.

Using a Veterans Health Administration database, Dr. Ritu Khurana, at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia, and fellow researchers obtained medical records for approximately 480,000 patients treated between 1998 and 2004, including 7280 diagnosed with lung cancer and 8678 diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

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