ArticleRheumatology and therapy2026
Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes for Patients Living with Active Giant Cell Arteritis in Canada.
Article in Rheumatology and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionGiant cell arteritis (GCA) is a chronic inflammatory vasculitis in large and medium-sized arteries. Glucocorticoids (GCs) remain the cornerstone of treatment but carry significant long-term adverse effects. Tocilizumab (TCZ), an interleukin (IL)-6 receptor inhibitor, has become a GC-sparing agent, yet optimal treatment duration remains uncertain.
methodsThis retrospective cohort study evaluated treatment patterns, clinical outcomes, and GC burden in patients (N = 121) with GCA treated at a specialized clinic in Montreal, Canada, between January 2017 and February 2025. Patients were stratified by initial treatment: GC only, GC + TCZ, and GC + other immunosuppressants (OIS). The primary endpoint was sustained remission at 12 months, defined by symptom resolution and normalization of inflammatory markers maintained for ≥ 6 months.
resultsOverall, two-thirds of patients (83, 68.6%) (95% confidence interval [CI] 60.3-76.9%) achieved sustained remission, with similar rates in GC only (35, 72.9%) and GC + TCZ (44, 69.8%) groups, but lower in the GC + OIS group (4, 40.0%). Most patients remained on GCs after 1 year, highlighting the difficulty of achieving steroid-free remission. Relapses occurred in nearly half of patients (58, 47.9%), with a median time to first relapse of 283.5 days (95% CI 206-326). Methotrexate showed limited GC-sparing efficacy, with several patients relapsing (6, 60%). TCZ-treated patients had the lowest cumulative GC exposure (mean 3431 mg (standard deviation [SD] = 1049) vs. 4690 mg (SD 969) in GC only), though a quarter of patients (16, 25.4%) relapsed after TCZ discontinuation.
conclusionThe current 1-year TCZ treatment limit in Canada may be inadequate for long-term disease control. Adverse events were generally low, though hypertension, hyperglycemia, and infections were common. Two bowel perforations occurred in the TCZ group. These findings underscore the need for individualized, long-term treatment in GCA to minimize steroid exposure and maintain disease control. Future research should explore optimal therapy durations and support policy changes to expand access to steroid-sparing agents to improve long-term GCA outcomes.
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.