B-cells depletion after treatment with rituximab predicts relapse of IgG4-related disease.
Rheumatology (Oxford)
; 2024 May 23.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38781535
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES:
B cell depletion therapy with rituximab is effective in most patients with IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) but requires repeated cycles to prevent disease flares. We here aimed to assess B cells after rituximab to predict relapse of IgG4-RD and guide retreatment.METHODS:
Patients with active IgG4-RD included in this retrospective study fulfilled the ACR/EULAR Classification Criteria. Total CD19+ B cells, plasmablasts, naïve and memory B cells were measured on peripheral blood by flow-cytometry at baseline and six months after rituximab. All patients were treated with two 1 g infusions of rituximab 15 days apart and monitored for 48 months. Disease response was assessed using the IgG4-RD Responder Index.RESULTS:
Thirty-three patients were included. Six months after rituximab, disease response was observed in all patients. Complete depletion of CD19+ B cells, plasmablasts, naïve and memory B cell depletion was achieved in 30%, 55%, 39%, and 42% of cases, respectively. Twenty-three relapses (70%) were observed at a median time of 24 months after rituximab. Relapse rate was significantly higher in patients who failed to achieve complete depletion of CD19+ cells (60% vs 17%, p= 0.02), naïve B cells (54% vs 15%, p= 0.01), or memory B cells (50% vs 16%, p= 0.03) six months after rituximab. The median relapse free survival time was shorter in patients who failed to achieve complete depletion of CD19+ cells (19 vs 38 months, p= 0.02), naïve B cells (16 vs 38 months, p= 0.01), or memory B cells (19 vs 38 months, p= 0.03) six months after rituximab.CONCLUSIONS:
The degree of B cell depletion six months after rituximab may predict disease flare and may instruct on the pacing of B cell depletion therapy in IgG4-RD.
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Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Rheumatology (Oxford)
Asunto de la revista:
REUMATOLOGIA
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Italia