Yan-Ming Wang1,2, Ya-Fei Yu1, Yu Liu3, Shuang Liu4, Ming Hou1,5, Xin-Guang Liu1. 1. Department of Hematology, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, People's Republic of China. 2. Department of Hematology, Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Yantai, People's Republic of China. 3. School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Engineering, Qilu University of Technology, Jinan, People's Republic of China. 4. Department of Hematology, Taian Central Hospital, Taian, People's Republic of China. 5. Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education and Chinese Ministry of Health, Jinan, People's Republic of China.
Abstract
Background: Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) can be detected in about 30% of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), yet their relationship with treatment response to rituximab remains elusive. Methods: we retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of hospitalized adult ITP patients who were treated with rituximab from three medical centers across China. Rituximab was given intravenously at 100 mg weekly for 4 weeks, or at a single dose of 375 mg/m2. All included patients had their ANAs tested before rituximab treatment. Results: A total of 287 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were eligible for analysis. ANAs were positive in 98 (34.1%) of the included patients. The incidence of overall response and complete response (CR) in ANA-positive patients was significantly higher than that in ANA-negative patients (overall response: 76.5% vs. 55.0%, P < 0.001; CR: 46.9% vs. 29.1%, P = 0.003). However, sustained response (SR) rates in ANA-positive patients at 6, 12 and 24 months were all lower compared with ANA-negative patients (all P < 0.05). The overall duration of response (DOR) estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis in ANA-negative patients was greater than that in ANA-positive patients (P < 0.001). Conclusion: ITP patients with positive ANA test were likely to achieve a better initial response to rituximab treatment, while their long-term outcome was unfavorable. Therefore, ANA test could be useful for predicting rituximab response in ITP.
Background: Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) can be detected in about 30% of patients with primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), yet their relationship with treatment response to rituximab remains elusive. Methods: we retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of hospitalized adult ITP patients who were treated with rituximab from three medical centers across China. Rituximab was given intravenously at 100 mg weekly for 4 weeks, or at a single dose of 375 mg/m2. All included patients had their ANAs tested before rituximab treatment. Results: A total of 287 patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were eligible for analysis. ANAs were positive in 98 (34.1%) of the included patients. The incidence of overall response and complete response (CR) in ANA-positive patients was significantly higher than that in ANA-negative patients (overall response: 76.5% vs. 55.0%, P < 0.001; CR: 46.9% vs. 29.1%, P = 0.003). However, sustained response (SR) rates in ANA-positive patients at 6, 12 and 24 months were all lower compared with ANA-negative patients (all P < 0.05). The overall duration of response (DOR) estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis in ANA-negative patients was greater than that in ANA-positive patients (P < 0.001). Conclusion: ITP patients with positive ANA test were likely to achieve a better initial response to rituximab treatment, while their long-term outcome was unfavorable. Therefore, ANA test could be useful for predicting rituximab response in ITP.
Authors: Mehmet Baysal; Volkan Baş; Elif Ümit; Hakkı Onur Kırkızlar; Ahmet Muzaffer Demir Journal: Turk J Haematol Date: 2021-06-24 Impact factor: 1.831