SynthesisRespiratory research2022
Effect size of rituximab on pulmonary function in the treatment of connective-tissue disease-related interstitial lung disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Respiratory research, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical Insights and Therapeutic Strategies for the Treatment of Interstitial Lung Disease in Patients with Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis: Current Trends and Future Directions.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Targeting B Cells for the Treatment of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathy.Clinical reviews in allergy & immunology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRituximab (RTX) has been previously reported as directed treatment in patients with connective-tissue disease-related interstitial lung diseases (CTD-ILD). A systematic assessment of treatment effect size on pulmonary function outcomes and related adverse effects in patients with CTD-ILD has not been previously reported.
methodsWe performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of published reports from PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Libraries. Randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, case-control, cohort, and case series (with five or more cases) containing individual pulmonary function data and adverse effects were included. Study endpoints were pre- and post-treatment change in percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC %) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO%), along with reported drug-related adverse events.
resultsTwenty studies totaling 411 patients were identified with 14 included in the meta-analysis of pulmonary function and six in the descriptive review. Random effects meta-analysis of pre- and post-treatment pulmonary function findings demonstrated increases in FVC% (n = 296) (mean difference (MD) 4.57%, [95% CI 2.63-6.51]) and DLCO% (n = 246) (MD 5.0% [95% CI 2.71-7.29]) after RTX treatment. RTX treatment-related adverse effects were reported in 13.6% of the pooled cohort.
conclusionsA systematic assessment of post-treatment effect size suggests a potential role for RTX in stabilizing or improving lung function in patients with CTD-ILD, with a modest but not insignificant adverse effect profile.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.