Steroid Withdrawal and Donor-specific Anti-HLA Antibodies in Renal Transplant Patients

Summary

Steroids are one of the pillars of immunosuppression for kidney transplant patients but their use is associated with a high rate of complications. Withdrawal of steroids reduces some metabolic and cardiovascular complications, but it may increase the risk of acute rejection. However, little is known about whether steroid withdrawal is associated with the generation of anti-HLA donor-specific antibodies (DSA) and the relation between DSA and clinical and histological data. The aim of this study is to compare the incidence of de novo anti-HLA DSA in stable kidney transplant patients after withdrawing the steroids 3 months after the transplantation as compared with patients who continue with steroids. The hypothesis is that steroid withdrawal will increase the presence of de novo anti-HLA DSA in stable kidney transplant patients

Timeline

Start

2015-02

Primary completion

2019-07

Completion

2019-12

Publications

• Background Miller LW. Cardiovascular toxicities of immunosuppressive agents. Am J Transplant. 2002 Oct;2(9):807-18. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-6143.2002.20902.x.
• Background Marcen R. Immunosuppressive drugs in kidney transplantation: impact on patient survival, and incidence of cardiovascular disease, malignancy and infection. Drugs. 2009 Nov 12;69(16):2227-43. doi: 10.2165/11319260-000000000-00000.
• Background Vincenti F, Schena FP, Paraskevas S, Hauser IA, Walker RG, Grinyo J; FREEDOM Study Group. A randomized, multicenter study of steroid avoidance, early steroid withdrawal or standard steroid therapy in kidney transplant recipients. Am J Transplant. 2008 Feb;8(2):307-16. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2007.02057.x.
• Background Arnol M, de Mattos AM, Chung JS, Prather JC, Mittalhenkle A, Norman DJ. Late steroid withdrawal and cardiovascular events in kidney transplant recipients. Transplantation. 2008 Dec 27;86(12):1844-8. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e31818ffec0.
• Background Opelz G, Dohler B. Association between steroid dosage and death with a functioning graft after kidney transplantation. Am J Transplant. 2013 Aug;13(8):2096-105. doi: 10.1111/ajt.12313. Epub 2013 Jun 10.
• Background Opelz G, Dohler B, Laux G; Collaborative Transplant Study. Long-term prospective study of steroid withdrawal in kidney and heart transplant recipients. Am J Transplant. 2005 Apr;5(4 Pt 1):720-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2004.00765.x.
• Background Gonzalez-Molina M, Gentil MA, Burgos D, Cabello M, Cobelo C, Bustamante J, Errasti P, Franco A, Hernandez D. Effect of long-term steroid withdrawal in renal transplant recipients: a retrospective cohort study. NDT Plus. 2010 Jun;3(Suppl_2):ii32-ii36. doi: 10.1093/ndtplus/sfq064.
• Background Kasiske BL, Chakkera HA, Louis TA, Ma JZ. A meta-analysis of immunosuppression withdrawal trials in renal transplantation. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2000 Oct;11(10):1910-1917. doi: 10.1681/ASN.V11101910.
• Background Pascual J, Quereda C, Zamora J, Hernandez D; Spanish Group for Evidence-Based Medicine in Renal Transplantation. Steroid withdrawal in renal transplant patients on triple therapy with a calcineurin inhibitor and mycophenolate mofetil: a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials. Transplantation. 2004 Nov 27;78(10):1548-56. doi: 10.1097/01.tp.0000140969.43761.1f.
• Background Woodle ES, First MR, Pirsch J, Shihab F, Gaber AO, Van Veldhuisen P; Astellas Corticosteroid Withdrawal Study Group. A prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter trial comparing early (7 day) corticosteroid cessation versus long-term, low-dose corticosteroid therapy. Ann Surg. 2008 Oct;248(4):564-77. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0b013e318187d1da.
• Background Terasaki PI, Ozawa M. Predicting kidney graft failure by HLA antibodies: a prospective trial. Am J Transplant. 2004 Mar;4(3):438-43. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2004.00360.x.
• Background Wiebe C, Gibson IW, Blydt-Hansen TD, Karpinski M, Ho J, Storsley LJ, Goldberg A, Birk PE, Rush DN, Nickerson PW. Evolution and clinical pathologic correlations of de novo donor-specific HLA antibody post kidney transplant. Am J Transplant. 2012 May;12(5):1157-67. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2012.04013.x. Epub 2012 Mar 19.
• Background Gill JS, Landsberg D, Johnston O, Shapiro RJ, Magil AB, Wu V, Tinckam K, Keown P. Screening for de novo anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies in nonsensitized kidney transplant recipients does not predict acute rejection. Transplantation. 2010 Jan 27;89(2):178-84. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e3181c3503e.
• Background Cantarovich D, De Amicis S, Akl A, Devys A, Vistoli F, Karam G, Soulillou JP. Posttransplant donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies negatively impact pancreas transplantation outcome. Am J Transplant. 2011 Dec;11(12):2737-46. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2011.03729.x. Epub 2011 Sep 11.
• Background Hoshino J, Kaneku H, Everly MJ, Greenland S, Terasaki PI. Using donor-specific antibodies to monitor the need for immunosuppression. Transplantation. 2012 Jun 15;93(11):1173-8. doi: 10.1097/TP.0b013e31824f3d7c.
• Background Worthington JE, Martin S, Al-Husseini DM, Dyer PA, Johnson RW. Posttransplantation production of donor HLA-specific antibodies as a predictor of renal transplant outcome. Transplantation. 2003 Apr 15;75(7):1034-40. doi: 10.1097/01.TP.0000055833.65192.3B.
• Background Mao Q, Terasaki PI, Cai J, Briley K, Catrou P, Haisch C, Rebellato L. Extremely high association between appearance of HLA antibodies and failure of kidney grafts in a five-year longitudinal study. Am J Transplant. 2007 Apr;7(4):864-71. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2006.01711.x.
• Background Moreso F, Ibernon M, Goma M, Carrera M, Fulladosa X, Hueso M, Gil-Vernet S, Cruzado JM, Torras J, Grinyo JM, Seron D. Subclinical rejection associated with chronic allograft nephropathy in protocol biopsies as a risk factor for late graft loss. Am J Transplant. 2006 Apr;6(4):747-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2005.01230.x.
• Background Anil Kumar MS, Irfan Saeed M, Ranganna K, Malat G, Sustento-Reodica N, Kumar AM, Meyers WC. Comparison of four different immunosuppression protocols without long-term steroid therapy in kidney recipients monitored by surveillance biopsy: five-year outcomes. Transpl Immunol. 2008 Nov;20(1-2):32-42. doi: 10.1016/j.trim.2008.08.005. Epub 2008 Sep 4.
• Hernandez D, Alonso-Titos J, Vazquez T, Leon M, Caballero A, Cobo MA, Sola E, Lopez V, Ruiz-Esteban P, Cruzado JM, Sellares J, Moreso F, Manonelles A, Torio A, Cabello M, Delgado-Burgos J, Casas C, Gutierrez E, Jironda C, Kanter J, Seron D, Torres A. Clinical Relevance of Corticosteroid Withdrawal on Graft Histological Lesions in Low-Immunological-Risk Kidney Transplant Patients. J Clin Med. 2021 May 7;10(9):2005. doi: 10.3390/jcm10092005.
• Hernandez D, Vazquez T, Alonso-Titos J, Leon M, Caballero A, Cobo MA, Sola E, Lopez V, Ruiz-Esteban P, Cruzado JM, Sellares J, Moreso F, Manonelles A, Torio A, Cabello M, Delgado-Burgos J, Casas C, Gutierrez E, Jironda C, Kanter J, Seron D, Torres A. Impact of HLA Mismatching on Early Subclinical Inflammation in Low-Immunological-Risk Kidney Transplant Recipients. J Clin Med. 2021 Apr 29;10(9):1934. doi: 10.3390/jcm10091934.

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Indications