Temporal Relationship Between Antitumor Necrosis Factor‐α Antibody Therapy and Recrudescence of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α inhibitors have been used effectively to treat rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Although the role of TNF‐α in tumor development is not well understood, an increased risk of malignancies with anti‐TNF‐α therapy has been suggested. We report an instructive case of a patient, treated for Crohn's disease with infliximab, who presented with a neck abscess diagnosed to be head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The patient's clinical course illustrates a temporal relationship between reappearance of his cancer after a complete response to therapy and the resumption of infliximab for worsening Crohn's disease.