Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25922621›Full record

ReviewTherapeutic advances in neurological disorders2015

The emerging role of tacrolimus in myasthenia gravis.

Jennifer L Cruz, Marissa L Wolff, Adam J Vanderman, Jamie N Brown

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Therapeutic advances in neurological disorders, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
33citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
5.5field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

33 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 70 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Long-term efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in anti-MuSK antibody-positive myasthenia gravis: a retrospective single-center cohort study.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Antibody Therapies in Autoimmune Neuromuscular Junction Disorders: Approach to Myasthenic Crisis and Chronic Management.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2022
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. History of Myasthenia Gravis Revisited.Noro psikiyatri arsivi · 2021
    Review
  15. Article
  16. Administration of FK506 from Late Stage of Disease Prolongs Survival of Human Prion-Inoculated Mice.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2020
    Article
  17. [Clinical effect of tacrolimus in the treatment of myasthenia gravis in children].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2020
    Article
  18. Observational
  19. Article
  20. Management of Juvenile Myasthenia Gravis.Frontiers in neurology · 2020
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Jennifer L CruzDrug Information, Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, 508 Fulton Street (119), Durham, NC 27705, USA.
Marissa L WolffGeriatrics, Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Adam J VandermanGeriatrics, Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Jamie N BrownPharmacy Service, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
Durham VA Medical Center · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo describe and evaluate the available evidence assessing the role of tacrolimus in the management of patients with myasthenia gravis (MG). DATA SOURCES: A literature search of MEDLINE (1946 to September 2014) and EMBASE (1947 to September 2014) was performed using the terms 'tacrolimus' and 'myasthenia gravis'. Citations of retrieved articles were examined for relevance. STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION: The search was limited to prospective clinical trials focused on clinical outcomes in patients with generalized MG. Case reports, retrospective evaluations and non-English articles were excluded. DATA SYNTHESIS: A total of 12 studies met inclusion criteria, of which seven articles evaluated tacrolimus in steroid-dependent patients and two examined the utility of tacrolimus in patients failing corticosteroids and cyclosporine. Other studies evaluated early initiation of tacrolimus after thymectomy, effectiveness of tacrolimus in de novo MG and the effectiveness of tacrolimus post-thymectomy in thymoma patients versus nonthymoma. A total of eight trials showed statistically significant improvements in quantitative MG score (QMGS) and postintervention status criteria - Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America (PSC-MGFA). Of the trials examining steroid reduction with tacrolimus, two reported high rates of complete withdrawal; however, the most robust trial was unable to detect a difference in mean steroid dose. Long-term effects of tacrolimus (up to 5 years) were assessed in eight trials, which consistently showed positive effects on QMGS or reduction in adjunct therapies.

conclusionsThere is limited yet promising information to suggest a beneficial role for tacrolimus in reducing QMGS and corticosteroid burden in patients with refractory symptoms or new-onset MG. Long-term use appears to be safe in this population.

Indexed as

disease managementdrug informationimmunosuppressantsmyasthenia gravisneurology

Identifiers

PMID25922621
PMCPMC4356660
OpenAlexW2163385934

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.