Immunosuppressive Drugs May Improve Lung Function in SSc-ILD
Individuals with systemic sclerosis (SSc) who have mild interstitial lung disease (ILD) may have improved lung function after receiving treatment with cyclophosphamide (CYC) or mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), according to findings from a new study.
To evaluate the effects of the immunosuppressive drugs on the course of mild ILD in SSc, the researchers identified 294 patients with SSc-ILD from the Canadian Scleroderma Research Group registry who were within 7 years of disease onset and had not received treatment with CYC or MMF prior to the baseline visit.
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Of the patients, 116 met the criteria for mild ILD, which was defined as a forced vital capacity (FVC % predicted) greater than 85% at baseline.
Overall, 13 patients had received their first treatment with CYC or MMF during their baseline visit. The researchers compared the FVC at 1 year of patients who received their first exposure with patients who were not exposed to either immunosuppressive drug.
According to the researchers, the patients who had received treatment with CYC or MMF had an 8.49% higher FVC at 1 year compared with patients who had not received treatment.
Among the patients who received treatment with CYC or MMF, none experienced clinically meaningful progression over 2 years, whereas 24.6% of the patients who had not received treatment with CYC or MMF did.
“In this real-world setting, CYC/MMF exposure at baseline was associated with higher FVC values and a lower risk of progression among subjects with mild ILD,” the authors concluded. “These data suggest a window of opportunity to preserve lung function in SSc-ILD.”
—Colleen Murphy
Reference:
Hoa S, Bernatsky S, Steele RJ, Baron M, Hudson M; Canadian Scleroderma Research Group. Association between immunosuppressive therapy and course of mild interstitial lung disease in systemic sclerosis [published online September 19,2019]. Rheumatology. doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kez407.
