Scleroderma Lung Disease

Summary

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of cyclophosphamide versus placebo for the prevention and progression of symptomatic pulmonary disease in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Timeline

Start

1999-08

Primary completion

2013-05

Completion

2013-05

Outcome

Met primary endpoint

paper favoring cyclophosphamide (P<0.03). PMID 16790698 ↗

Publications

• Results Tashkin DP, Elashoff R, Clements PJ, Goldin J, Roth MD, Furst DE, Arriola E, Silver R, Strange C, Bolster M, Seibold JR, Riley DJ, Hsu VM, Varga J, Schraufnagel DE, Theodore A, Simms R, Wise R, Wigley F, White B, Steen V, Read C, Mayes M, Parsley E, Mubarak K, Connolly MK, Golden J, Olman M, Fessler B, Rothfield N, Metersky M; Scleroderma Lung Study Research Group. Cyclophosphamide versus placebo in scleroderma lung disease. N Engl J Med. 2006 Jun 22;354(25):2655-66. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa055120.
• Volkmann ER, Wilhalme H, Good S, Kim GHJ, Goldin J, Roth MD, Tashkin DP. A composite endpoint for systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease: association with mortality in two clinical trial cohorts. Respir Res. 2025 Nov 28;26(1):337. doi: 10.1186/s12931-025-03401-8.
• Khanna D, Clements PJ, Volkmann ER, Wilhalme H, Tseng CH, Furst DE, Roth MD, Distler O, Tashkin DP. Minimal Clinically Important Differences for the Modified Rodnan Skin Score: Results from the Scleroderma Lung Studies (SLS-I and SLS-II). Arthritis Res Ther. 2019 Jan 16;21(1):23. doi: 10.1186/s13075-019-1809-y.
• Kafaja S, Clements PJ, Wilhalme H, Tseng CH, Furst DE, Kim GH, Goldin J, Volkmann ER, Roth MD, Tashkin DP, Khanna D. Reliability and minimal clinically important differences of forced vital capacity: Results from the Scleroderma Lung Studies (SLS-I and SLS-II). Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 Mar 1;197(5):644-652. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201709-1845OC. Epub 2017 Nov 3.
• Namas R, Tashkin DP, Furst DE, Wilhalme H, Tseng CH, Roth MD, Kafaja S, Volkmann E, Clements PJ, Khanna D; Participants in the Scleroderma Lung Study I and members of the Scleroderma Lung Study II Research Group. Efficacy of Mycophenolate Mofetil and Oral Cyclophosphamide on Skin Thickness: Post Hoc Analyses From Two Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2018 Mar;70(3):439-444. doi: 10.1002/acr.23282. Epub 2018 Feb 9.
• Kim HJ, Tashkin DP, Gjertson DW, Brown MS, Kleerup E, Chong S, Belperio JA, Roth MD, Abtin F, Elashoff R, Tseng CH, Khanna D, Goldin JG. Transitions to different patterns of interstitial lung disease in scleroderma with and without treatment. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Jul;75(7):1367-71. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-208929. Epub 2016 Jan 12.
• Khanna D, Nagaraja V, Tseng CH, Abtin F, Suh R, Kim G, Wells A, Furst DE, Clements PJ, Roth MD, Tashkin DP, Goldin J. Predictors of lung function decline in scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease based on high-resolution computed tomography: implications for cohort enrichment in systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease trials. Arthritis Res Ther. 2015 Dec 23;17:372. doi: 10.1186/s13075-015-0872-2.
• Tashkin DP, Volkmann ER, Tseng CH, Kim HJ, Goldin J, Clements P, Furst D, Khanna D, Kleerup E, Roth MD, Elashoff R. Relationship between quantitative radiographic assessments of interstitial lung disease and physiological and clinical features of systemic sclerosis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Feb;75(2):374-81. doi: 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206076. Epub 2014 Dec 1.
• Theodore AC, Tseng CH, Li N, Elashoff RM, Tashkin DP. Correlation of cough with disease activity and treatment with cyclophosphamide in scleroderma interstitial lung disease: findings from the Scleroderma Lung Study. Chest. 2012 Sep;142(3):614-621. doi: 10.1378/chest.11-0801.
• Roth MD, Tseng CH, Clements PJ, Furst DE, Tashkin DP, Goldin JG, Khanna D, Kleerup EC, Li N, Elashoff D, Elashoff RM; Scleroderma Lung Study Research Group. Predicting treatment outcomes and responder subsets in scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease. Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Sep;63(9):2797-808. doi: 10.1002/art.30438.
• Goldin J, Elashoff R, Kim HJ, Yan X, Lynch D, Strollo D, Roth MD, Clements P, Furst DE, Khanna D, Vasunilashorn S, Li G, Tashkin DP. Treatment of scleroderma-interstitial lung disease with cyclophosphamide is associated with less progressive fibrosis on serial thoracic high-resolution CT scan than placebo: findings from the scleroderma lung study. Chest. 2009 Nov;136(5):1333-1340. doi: 10.1378/chest.09-0108.
• Goldin JG, Lynch DA, Strollo DC, Suh RD, Schraufnagel DE, Clements PJ, Elashoff RM, Furst DE, Vasunilashorn S, McNitt-Gray MF, Brown MS, Roth MD, Tashkin DP; Scleroderma Lung Study Research Group. High-resolution CT scan findings in patients with symptomatic scleroderma-related interstitial lung disease. Chest. 2008 Aug;134(2):358-367. doi: 10.1378/chest.07-2444. Epub 2008 Jul 18.
• Strange C, Bolster MB, Roth MD, Silver RM, Theodore A, Goldin J, Clements P, Chung J, Elashoff RM, Suh R, Smith EA, Furst DE, Tashkin DP; Scleroderma Lung Study Research Group. Bronchoalveolar lavage and response to cyclophosphamide in scleroderma interstitial lung disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2008 Jan 1;177(1):91-8. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200705-655OC. Epub 2007 Sep 27.
• Tashkin DP, Elashoff R, Clements PJ, Roth MD, Furst DE, Silver RM, Goldin J, Arriola E, Strange C, Bolster MB, Seibold JR, Riley DJ, Hsu VM, Varga J, Schraufnagel D, Theodore A, Simms R, Wise R, Wigley F, White B, Steen V, Read C, Mayes M, Parsley E, Mubarak K, Connolly MK, Golden J, Olman M, Fessler B, Rothfield N, Metersky M, Khanna D, Li N, Li G; Scleroderma Lung Study Research Group. Effects of 1-year treatment with cyclophosphamide on outcomes at 2 years in scleroderma lung disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2007 Nov 15;176(10):1026-34. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200702-326OC. Epub 2007 Aug 23.

Drugs

Indications