Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39661482›Full record

ArticleRheumatology (Oxford, England)2025

A protocol for targeted B-lymphocyte depletion for the treatment of IgG4-related disease.

Matthew Colquhoun, Tara D Barwick, Eva Bolton, Norma Gibbons, Archie Hughes-Hallett, Jeremy B Levy, Stephen P McAdoo, Constantinos A Parisinos, Natalie Philips, Frederick W K Tam and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Rheumatology (Oxford, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Management of IgG4-Related Disease.Current rheumatology reports · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. 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

13 authors.

Matthew ColquhounDepartment of Rheumatology, Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, London, UK.
Tara D BarwickDepartment of Nuclear Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Eva BoltonDepartment of Urology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Norma GibbonsDepartment of Urology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Archie Hughes-HallettDepartment of Urology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Jeremy B LevyDepartment of Renal and Transplant Medicine, West London Renal and Transplant Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Stephen P McAdooDepartment of Renal and Transplant Medicine, West London Renal and Transplant Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Constantinos A ParisinosDepartment of Gastroenterology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Natalie PhilipsDepartment of Gastroenterology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Frederick W K TamDepartment of Immunology and Inflammation, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Florian WernigDepartment of Endocrinology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.
Taryn YoungsteinDepartment of Rheumatology, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-8297-556X
James A P TomlinsonDepartment of Renal and Transplant Medicine, West London Renal and Transplant Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8299-8211

Funding

AstraZenecaBoehringer-IngelheimImperial Biomedical Research CentreKen and Mary Minton Chair of Renal MedicineNational Institute for Health ResearchNIHPfizer
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo determine the clinical outcomes of patients with immunoglobulin 4-related disease (IgG4-RD) treated with a defined B-cell depletion protocol using rituximab.

methodsPatients were included if they had (i) an IgG4-RD diagnosis at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust between February 2017 and October 2022, and (ii) >9 months of follow-up data available following the first rituximab dose. The rituximab protocol targeted B-cell depletion to <10 cells/microliter for a maintenance period of two years. Electronic records were used to define patient demographics, serological and radiological variables and treatment responses according to the IgG4-RD responder index (RI).

resultsForty-five patients received induction treatment with rituximab. Two patients had insufficient follow-up data for outcome analysis. All patients responded to rituximab therapy according to the IgG4-RD RI. Most patients (25/43, 58%) were also treated with low-dose glucocorticoids at the time of rituximab induction (median prednisolone dose 5 mg daily) and 4/25 (16%) remained on prednisolone at two years (median prednisolone dose 5 mg daily). Disease flares occurred in 11/43 (26%) patients; 9/11 flares occurred in the presence of B-cell repopulation; 2/11 (18.1%) flares occurred in the absence of B-cell repopulation (>10 cells/uL). All flares re-treated with rituximab (7/7, 100%) responded positively.

conclusionRituximab administration targeting B-cell depletion for a two-year period is an effective treatment strategy for IgG4-RD and can limit the cumulative glucocorticoid exposure. Flares are uncommon and typically occur in the setting of B-cell repopulation, with good clinical responses to further rituximab administration.

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsB-LymphocytesImmunoglobulin G4-Related DiseaseImmunologic FactorsLymphocyte DepletionRituximabAdultAgedFemaleGlucocorticoidsHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrednisoloneRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAntirheumatic AgentsGlucocorticoidsImmunologic FactorsPrednisoloneRituximabanti-CD20IgG4-RDimmunosuppressioninflammationmultisystem diseaseprotocolretroperitoneal fibrosisrheumatologyrituximab

Identifiers

PMID39661482
PMCPMC12048072

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.