A retrospective study of the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic malignancy was performed using the records of 196 older age patients with classic or definite rheumatoid arthritis. The results were compared to 125 patients in the same age group who had arthritis of a non-rheumatoid type. There was no difference in the incidence of malignancy in the two groups of patients. However, there was a positive correlation between the incidence of malignancy and the use of long term adrenocorticosteroid therapy