Combination therapy with rituximab, low-dose cyclophosphamide, and prednisone for idiopathic membranous nephropathy: a case series

Frank B. Cortazar, David E. Leaf, Charles T. Owens, Karen Laliberte, William F. Pendergraft, John L. Niles

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Membranous nephropathy is a common cause of the nephrotic syndrome. Treatment with standard regimens fails to induce complete remission in most patients. We evaluated the efficacy of combination therapy with rituximab, low-dose, oral cyclophosphamide, and an accelerated prednisone taper (RCP) for the treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy. Methods: We analyzed 15 consecutive patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy treated with RCP at Massachusetts General Hospital. Seven patients (47%) received RCP as initial therapy, and the other eight patients (53%) received RCP for relapsing or refractory disease. All patients had at least 1 year of follow-up. The co-primary outcomes were attainment of partial and complete remission. Partial remission was defined as a urinary protein to creatinine ratio (UPCR) < 3 g/g and a 50% reduction from baseline. Complete remission was defined as a UPCR < 0.3 g/g. Secondary outcomes were serious adverse events and the change in proteinuria, serum creatinine, serum albumin, cholesterol, triglycerides, and immunoglobulin G levels after 1 year of treatment. Results: Over a median follow-up time of 37 (IQR, 34-44) months, 100% of patients achieved partial remission and 93% of patients achieved complete remission at a median time of 2 and 13 months, respectively. After 1 year of treatment, median (IQR) UPCR declined from 8.2 (6.6-11.1) to 0.3 (0.2-0.7) g/g (P < 0.001). Three serious adverse events occurred over 51 patient years. No patients died or progressed to ESKD. Conclusions: Treatment of idiopathic membranous nephropathy with RCP resulted in high rates of complete remission. Larger studies evaluating this regimen are warranted.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number44
Pages (from-to)1-10
Number of pages10
JournalBMC nephrology
Volume18
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Membranous nephropathy
  • Remission
  • Rituximab

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nephrology

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