Project description:Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disorder that induces a decrease in the number of circulating platelets due to spleen destruction and inability of megakaryocytes to restore normal counts. Immunosuppressive therapy with glucocorticoid drugs constitutes the first line of treatment. However, lack of response to these agents is not uncommon, and the management of refractory patients is a matter of controversy. In fact, day-to-day clinical practice shows that, in spite of the current guidelines, splenectomy, which is currently considered a suitable second-choice therapy, is being replaced by treatment with thrombopoietin receptor agonists. These boost platelet production by megakaryocytes. The use of one of these, namely eltrombopag, has been permitted for ITP patients refractory to first-line drugs or splenectomy, for the last 10 years. This review summarizes the experience reported using eltrombopag in ITP, paying attention to efficacy and safety. Results from clinical trials will be discussed, and studies performed in the course of daily clinical practice will also be reviewed, as these are useful to assess the potential of the drug in real-world settings. The management of adverse events and the use of eltrombopag in particular situations will also be covered. The experience reported so far permits us to suggest that eltrombopag efficiently induces recovery of platelet counts. Furthermore, recent papers have demonstrated that a sustained response after discontinuation, initially thought to be problematic, may be possible in a nonnegligible number of cases. The safety profile is satisfactory, although patients presenting with thromboembolism risk factors should be treated with caution until the eltrombopag-associated prothrombotic risk is fully established. In summary, although larger studies are still needed to clarify some issues, eltrombopag may be a useful alternative tool for ITP patients refractory to conventional medical management or splenectomy.
Project description:ObjectiveTo conduct a meta-analysis assessing the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine-based combinations for primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).MethodsRandomized controlled clinical trials were collected by systematically searching databases (PubMed®, MEDLINE®, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure) from inception to June 2022. All studies included patients with ITP who received cyclosporine-based regimens. We performed comprehensive analyses of the overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR) rate, partial response (PR) rate, relapse rate, platelet count, and adverse drug reaction (ADR) rate.ResultsSeven studies (n = 418) were ultimately included. According to a fixed-effects model, cyclosporine-based combinations improved the ORR and CR rate and reduced the relapse rate. The ADR rate was not increased in the cyclosporine-based combination group. Cyclosporine-based regimens effectively increased the platelet count. Subgroup analysis illustrated that cyclosporine-based combinations were linked to higher ORRs in both children (odds ratio [OR] = 5.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.79-18.41) and adults (OR = 5.46, 95% CI = 2.48-12.02) and a higher CR rate in adults (OR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.56-5.63).ConclusionCyclosporine exhibited efficacy in the treatment of ITP without increasing the risk of ADRs.
Project description:BackgroundImmune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) is characterized by low platelet counts. Splenectomy has been in practice for the treatment of ITP since the early 20th century. We aimed to analyze the data of ITP patients from our hospital who underwent splenectomy and further present the long-term outcome and safety profile in these patients.MethodThis study was a single-center, registry based study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Northern India. Patients aged 18 years or more, who underwent splenectomy after at least one line of therapy, were included in the study. The primary outcome was the overall response rate (ORR) at one month after splenectomy. Secondary outcomes were sustained response, relapse-free survival, factors affecting the ORR, and adverse events after splenectomy.ResultsForty-five patients of ITP were included in the study. Thirty-six patients underwent splenectomy in the first half (2001-2010), of the study period. The median age of the patients was 38 (19-56) years. The median duration from diagnosis to splenectomy was 1.76 (0.47-2.58) years. The median number of therapy received before splenectomy was 3 (1-6). The overall response rate (ORR) post-splenectomy at day 30 was 89.2% with 61.8% complete response (CR). The ORR was 88.5% at 1-year, with 48.8% CR. The relapse-free survival (RFS) at 5-years was 57.38% (95% Confidence Interval 40.59-71.02%), There was no effect of duration of disease, age, gender, and prior therapy received, on the ORR at one-month. At one year, the platelet response was significantly better in patients who had a CR at one-month than patients who had a partial response at one month. The relapse-free survival was better in patients who achieved CR after 1-month of splenectomy. During the median follow-up of 5.02 (1 month-20 years) years, there were five cases of overwhelming post-splenectomy infection (OPSI). There was no recorded incidence of perioperative mortality, deep vein thrombosis, or mesenteric thrombosis.DiscussionDespite the variation in outcome from different studies, splenectomy gives the best possible long-term treatment-free remission amongst all the available second-line agents. It is also, one of the most financially affordable therapies. Despite advantages, the number of ITP patients undergoing splenectomy has been on the decline and largely attributable to the newer and more effective second-line therapies. There is no pre-surgery variable predicting the ORR after splenectomy.ConclusionSplenectomy in ITP offers a long-term sustained response at an economical cost.
Project description:BackgroundImmune thrombocytopenia is an autoimmune disease characterised by decreased platelet count. In recent years, novel therapeutic regimens have been investigated in randomised controlled trials (RCTs). We aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of different treatments in newly diagnosed adult primary immune thrombocytopenia.MethodsWe did a systematic review and network meta-analysis of RCTs involving treatments for newly diagnosed primary immune thrombocytopenia. PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases were searched up to April 31, 2022. The primary outcomes were 6-month sustained response and early response. Secondary outcome was grade 3 or higher adverse events. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022296179).FindingsEighteen RCTs (n = 1944) were included in this study. Pairwise meta-analysis showed that the percentage of patients achieving early response was higher in the dexamethasone-containing doublet group than in the dexamethasone group (79.7% vs 68.7%, odds ratio [OR] 1.82, 95% CI 1.10-3.02). The difference was more profound for sustained response (60.5% vs 37.4%, OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.95-3.40). Network meta-analysis showed that dexamethasone plus recombinant human thrombopoietin ranked first for early response, followed by dexamethasone plus oseltamivir or tacrolimus. Rituximab plus prednisolone achieved highest sustained response, followed by dexamethasone plus all-trans retinoic acid or rituximab. Rituximab plus dexamethasone showed 15.3% of grade 3 or higher adverse events, followed by prednis(ol)one (4.8%) and all-trans retinoic acid plus dexamethasone (4.7%).InterpretationOur findings suggested that compared with monotherapy dexamethasone or prednis(ol)one, the combined regimens had better early and sustained responses. rhTPO plus dexamethasone ranked top in early response, while rituximab plus corticosteroids obtained the best sustained response, but with more adverse events. Adding oseltamivir, all-trans retinoic acid or tacrolimus to dexamethasone reached equally encouraging sustained response, without compromising safety profile. Although this network meta-analysis compared all the therapeutic regimens up to date, more head-to-head RCTs with larger sample size are warranted to make direct comparison among these strategies.FundingNational Natural Science Foundation of China, Major Research Plan of National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation and Young Taishan Scholar Foundation of Shandong Province.
Project description:IntroductionA network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to assess the efficacy and safety of avatrombopag, relative to eltrombopag, romiplostim, and fostamatinib, for patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) not responding adequately to corticosteroids.MethodsA systematic search of publication and clinical trial databases was conducted to identify relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies. Data from eligible studies were extracted and analyzed in a Bayesian framework using relative effect sizes vs placebo. Outcomes included durable platelet response; need for rescue therapy; reduction in use of concomitant ITP medication; incidence of any or World Health Organization (WHO) grade 2-4 bleeding events, and any adverse events. Results were reported as odds ratios or incidence rate ratios (IRR) with 95% credible intervals (CrIs).ResultsThe NMA included seven phase 3 RCTs. Compared with placebo, avatrombopag was associated with statistically significant improvements in durable platelet response, reduction in use of concomitant ITP medication, and incidence of any bleeding events. Statistically significant differences vs placebo were also observed for durable platelet response and need for rescue therapy (eltrombopag, romiplostim, and fostamatinib); reduction in use of concomitant ITP medication (eltrombopag and romiplostim); incidence of any bleeding events (fostamatinib); and incidence of WHO grade 2-4 bleeding events (romiplostim and fostamatinib). No statistically significant differences were observed for any adverse events. Avatrombopag was associated with a statistically significant lower incidence of any bleeding events vs eltrombopag (IRR 0.38 [95% CrI 0.19, 0.75]) and romiplostim (IRR 0.38 [95% Crl 0.17, 0.86]); no other between-treatment differences were observed.ConclusionIn this NMA, avatrombopag significantly increased the chance of achieving durable platelet response and reducing the use of concomitant ITP medication vs placebo, and significantly reduced the incidence of any bleeding events compared with placebo, eltrombopag, and romiplostim. The study aims to help guide clinicians managing patients with chronic ITP and insufficient response to previous treatment.
Project description:Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune disease characterized by increased platelet destruction and impaired platelet production. In this study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the efficacy and safety of thrombopoietin receptor agonists (TPO-RAs) in primary ITP patients. Thirteen randomized controlled trials were included in this study, the pooled results of which demonstrated that TPO-RAs significantly increased platelet response (R) and durable response (DR) rates [risk ratio (RR): 2.77, 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.01-3.82, P = 5.9 × 10-10; RR: 7.52, 95% CI: 3.94-14.35, P = 9.2 × 10-10; respectively] and that TPO-RAs significantly reduced the incidences of any or severe bleeding events (RR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.67-0.95, P = 0.013; RR: 0.52, 95% CI: 0.27-0.99, P = 0.048; respectively). Moreover, our results indicated that there was a significant reduction in the proportion of patients needing rescue medications in the TPO-RA groups compared with the control groups (RR: 0.50, 95% CI: 0.42-0.59, P = 2.0 × 10-15) and that the rates of any or severe adverse events were similar between the TPO-RA and control regimens (RR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.92-1.10; RR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.54-1.01; respectively). These findings demonstrate that TPO-RAs are an effective and safe second-line treatment option for primary ITP patients.
Project description:BackgroundRituximab has been frequently used as a second-line treatment for patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). The optimal dose and course of rituximab are uncertain.MethodsA comprehensive search for randomized controlled trials reporting the use of low-dose (100 mg) or standard-dose (375 mg/m2) rituximab in ITP treatment was conducted. Meta-analyses were performed on CRR (complete response rate), ORR (overall response rate), PRR (partial response rate), SRR (sustained response rate), infection rate, SB (significant bleeding) rate, and SAE (serious adverse event) rate.ResultsA total of 12 studies were included, comprising 869 patients. Compared to the control group, rituximab treatment resulted in an obvious increase in CRR (P < 0.00001), ORR (P < 0.0001), and SRR at month 6 and 12 (P = 0.0007, P = 0.0003), without increasing the infection rate (P = 0.12) and SAE rate (P = 0.11). No significant differences in CRR (RR 1.61 vs. 1.42, P = 0.45), ORR (RR 1.26 vs. 1.49, P = 0.28), PRR (RR 1.25 vs. 1.00, P = 0.11), SRR at month 12 (RR 2.00 vs. RR 1.64, P = 0.54), infection rate (RR 0.85 vs. 1.46, P = 0.36), and SB rate (RR 0.14 vs. 1.19, P = 0.17) were found in subgroups of low dose and standard dose.ConclusionRituximab was effective and safe for adult patients with ITP. A low-dose rituximab regimen might be an effective alternative to the standard-dose regimen in ITP, as it showed similar CRR, ORR, and SRR at month 12 and was relatively safer with a lower cost.
Project description:Persistent immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) patients require second-line treatments, for which information on clinical outcomes are lacking. A systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) were conducted. Only randomised controlled trials (RCT) of second-line drugs in adult persistent ITP patients with platelet response, platelet count, any bleeding or serious adverse events (SAE) outcome were eligible. Twelve RCTs (n = 1313) were included in NMA. For platelet response outcome, eltrombopag and romiplostin were the best relative to placebo; the former had a non-significant advantage [risk ratio (RR) = 1·10 (95% confidence interval: 0·46, 2·67)]. Both treatments were superior to rituximab and recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO)+rituximab, with corresponding RRs of 4·56 (1·89, 10·96) and 4·18 (1·21, 14·49) for eltrombopag; 4·13 (1·56, 10·94) and 3·79 (1·02, 14·09) for romiplostim. For platelet count, romiplostim ranked highest, followed by eltrombopag, rhTPO+rituximab, and rituximab. For bleeding, rituximab had lowest risk, followed by eltrombopag and romiplostim. For SAEs, rhTPO+rituximab had highest risk, followed by rituximab, eltrombopag and romiplostim. From clustered ranking, romiplostim had the best balance between short-term efficacy and SAEs, followed by eltrombopag. In conclusion, romiplostim and eltrombopag may yield high efficacy and safety. Rituximab may not be beneficial due to lower efficacy and higher complications compared with the thrombopoietin receptor agonists. RCTs with long-term clinical outcomes are required.
Project description:BackgroundRituximab has been widely used off-label as a second line treatment for children with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). However, its role in the management of pediatric ITP requires clarification. To understand and interpret the available evidence, we conducted a systematic review to assess the efficacy and safety of rituximab for children with ITP.Methodology/principal findingsWe searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, abstract databases of American Society of Hematology, American Society of Clinical Oncology and Pediatric Academic Society. Clinical studies published in full text or abstract only in any language that met predefined inclusion criteria were eligible. Efficacy analysis was restricted to studies enrolling 5 or more patients. Safety was evaluated from all studies that reported data of toxicity. 14 studies (323 patients) were included for efficacy assessment in children with primary ITP. The pooled complete response (platelet count ? 100 × 10(9)/L) and response (platelet count ? 30 × 10(9)/L) rate after rituximab treatment were 39% (95% CI, 30% to 49%) and 68% (95%CI, 58% to 77%), respectively, with median response duration of 12.8 month. 4 studies (29 patients) were included for efficacy assessment in children with secondary ITP. 11 (64.7%) of 17 patients associated with Evans syndrome achieved response. All 6 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus associated ITP and all 6 patients with autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome associated ITP achieved response. 91 patients experienced 108 adverse events associated with rituximab, among that, 91 (84.3%) were mild to moderate, and no death was reported.Conclusions/significanceRandomized controlled studies on effect of rituximab for children with ITP are urgently needed, although a series of uncontrolled studies found that rituximab resulted in a good platelet count response both in children with primary and children secondary ITP. Most adverse events associated with rituximab were mild to moderate, and no death was reported.