ArticleEuropean journal of rheumatology2018
Outcomes of rituximab therapy in refractory lupus: A meta-analysis.
Article in European journal of rheumatology, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 105 citations in OpenAlex.
- The 2026 British Society for Rheumatology guideline for the management of children, young people and adults with systemic lupus erythematosus.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2026Guideline
- Rituximab Therapy for Adult Refractory Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with Neurological and/or Psychiatric Presentations: A PRISMACompliant Meta-Analysis.Current rheumatology reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Management of systemic lupus erythematosus: a systematic literature review informing the 2023 update of the EULAR recommendations.Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2024Pooled it
- Pathogenesis, Treatment Advances, and Renal Outcomes in Childhood-Onset Lupus Nephritis.Clinical pediatrics · 2026Review
- Therapeutic progress in the targeting of B cells in lupus nephritis: pathogenesis to clinical research.International urology and nephrology · 2025Review
- Low-dose rituximab in lupus enteritis: a comparative study on its efficacy in modulating mucosal immunity and reducing inflammation.Arthritis research & therapy · 2025Article
- 2025 Chinese guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.Rheumatology and immunology research · 2025Article
- Review
- Rituximab as the first-line treatment in newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- CAR T cell therapy for refractory pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus: a new era of hope?Pediatric rheumatology online journal · 2024Review
- [What is proven in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus?]Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie · 2024Review
- Severe lupus pneumonitis: A case of life-saving multimodal therapy with rituximab and corticosteroids.Respirology case reports · 2024Article
- Antigen-specific T cell responses in autoimmune diabetes.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- Targeting autoimmune mechanisms by precision medicine in Myasthenia Gravis.Frontiers in immunology · 2024Review
- Evidence based treatment for lupus nephritis: present perspectives and challenges.Frontiers in nephrology · 2024Review
- [What is proven in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus?]Innere Medizin (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2023Review
- Clinical research progress of novel biologics for the treatment of lupus nephritis.Clinical and experimental medicine · 2023Review
- Lupus Nephritis in Children: Novel Perspectives.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Review
- Biological therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, and Sjögren's syndrome: evidence- and practice-based guidance.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveConventional treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) is associated with damage accrual, hence increased morbidity rate. Off-label use of rituximab (RTX) has shown significant promise in this patient group; however, data are still controversial. We aimed to analyze the outcomes of RTX therapy in refractory lupus using a meta-analysis approach.
methodsElectronic search of the medical literature was conducted using a combination of relevant keywords to retrieve studies on the safety and efficacy of RTX in SLE and LN patients. Results were screened against our inclusion and exclusion criteria and two reviewers independently extracted the data for analysis. Comprehensive meta-analysis software was used to pool the data from individual studies and provide summary effect estimates.
resultsThirty-one studies that enrolled 1112 patients were finally eligible for the meta-analysis. The overall global, complete, and partial response rates to RTX therapy were 72%, 46%, and 32%, respectively. RTX significantly decreased Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) and British Isles Lupus Activity Group (BILAG) scores (p<0.001). Prednisone dose was significantly reduced after RTX treatment in both SLE and LN groups (p<0.001), and proteinuria was lowered in SLE (p<0.001) than in LN patients (p=0.07). Infection and infusion-related reactions were the most common side effects.
conclusionRTX therapy in refractory SLE and LN patients proved clinical efficacy and favorable safety outcomes. Larger well-designed randomized clinical trials are warranted.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
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.