Vasculitis and Giant Cell Arteritis News

The addition of abatacept to a prednisone treatment regimen reduced the risk for relapse in patients with giant cell arteritis, according to recently published data.

The addition of abatacept to a prednisone treatment regimen did not reduce the risk for relapse in patients with Takayasu’s arteritis, according to recently published data.

For generations, it has been a dream of oncologists to harness the immune system to defeat cancer. William B. Coley, MD, an innovative cancer surgeon of the late 19th century, recognized the likelihood for regression of head and neck cancers when the immune system was stimulated by certain infections.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been in heavy use in major cancer centers for more than a decade. These drugs are now used for several malignancies. It has been established, somewhat anecdotally, that these are associated with myiad rheumatic complications. While larger, more comprehensive and more rigorous data sets are beginning to emerge, questions remain.

Histopathologic classification can determine renal outcomes in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis, according to data from a recently published meta-analysis of 1,601 patients.

The FDA has accepted Genentech’s supplemental biologics license application and has granted priority review for Actemra in the treatment of giant cell arteritis, according to a company press release.

WASHINGTON — At the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, Matthew D. Cascino, MD, in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of California, San Francisco, reviewed his study on several factors — relapsing disease, BMI, PR3 positivity and induction treatment with rituximab — and their association with glucocorticoid exposure in patients with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis.

Precision medicine is rapidly racing forward and, for those of us who are watching, it may be reasonable to ask “What will this mean for me?” The most obvious question might be whether we should seek to be early adopters or lay low and wait for the dust to settle.

A:

The NIH recently commissioned $55 million for studies to investigate precision medicine. While it remains to be seen how many of those dollars will be used in rheumatic diseases, the message is clear: Medicine is moving steadily toward personalized approaches.