What does the future hold for people with lupus?
Overall, the outlook for people with systemic lupus is improving each decade with the development of more accurate monitoring tests and treatments. The role of the immune system in causing diseases is becoming better understood through research. This knowledge will be applied to design safer and more effective treatment methods. For example, completely revising the immune system of people with extremely aggressive treatments that virtually temporarily wipe out the immune system is being evaluated. Current studies involve immune eradication with or without replacement of cells that can re-establish the immune system (stem cell transplantation). It should be noted that people with SLE are at a somewhat increased risk for developing cancer. The cancer risk is most dramatic for blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, but is also increased for breast cancer. This risk probably relates, in part, to the altered immune system that is characteristic of SLE. Women with SLE appear to be at
