The Effect of Steroid Pulse Therapy for the Reduction of Acute Rejection Episode in Subclinical Borderline Changes

Summary

* Several studies have shown that about 30% of transplanted kidneys with stable function present with tubule-interstitial mononuclear cell infiltration in protocol biopsies and therefore meet criteria for acute rejection. This subclinical rejection (SCR) has also been correlated with subsequent chronic allograft nephropathy and allograft dysfunction. * The Banff scheme defines the minimal threshold for acute T-cell mediated rejection as infiltration of 25% or more of the renal cortex with five or more mononuclear cells in a focus of tubulitis or intimal arteritis (histological indices i2t2 or v1) and refers to borderline changes as those with insufficient for a diagnosis of acute T-cell mediated rejection, including mild to moderate (\<50%) cortical infiltration and one to four mononuclear cells per tubule in cross section (i1t1 or i2t1) * No consensus for the treating patients with borderline changes has been reached. Borderline changes with graft dysfunction are occasionally routinely treated with steroid pulse and, whereas subclinical borderline changes are simply 'ignored'. Particularly, a previous study demonstrated that most cases designated borderline by histopathology are found to be non-rejection by molecular phenotyping * The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of early steroid pulse therapy for the reduction of acute rejection episode during the first year after renal transplantation in the patients who will show subclinical borderline changes at 2-week protocol biopsy.

Timeline

Start

2016-02

Primary completion

2020-07

Completion

2020-07

Publications

• Results Rush DN, Henry SF, Jeffery JR, Schroeder TJ, Gough J. Histological findings in early routine biopsies of stable renal allograft recipients. Transplantation. 1994 Jan;57(2):208-11. doi: 10.1097/00007890-199401001-00009.
• Results Miyagi M, Ishikawa Y, Mizuiri S, Aikawa A, Ohara T, Hasegawa A. Significance of subclinical rejection in early renal allograft biopsies for chronic allograft dysfunction. Clin Transplant. 2005 Aug;19(4):456-65. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2005.00303.x.
• Results Legendre C, Thervet E, Skhiri H, Mamzer-Bruneel MF, Cantarovich F, Noel LH, Kreis H. Histologic features of chronic allograft nephropathy revealed by protocol biopsies in kidney transplant recipients. Transplantation. 1998 Jun 15;65(11):1506-9. doi: 10.1097/00007890-199806150-00020.
• Results Furness PN, Kirkpatrick U, Taub N, Davies DR, Solez K. A UK-wide trial of the Banff classification of renal transplant pathology in routine diagnostic practice. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 1997 May;12(5):995-100. doi: 10.1093/ndt/12.5.995.
• Results Racusen LC, Solez K, Colvin RB, Bonsib SM, Castro MC, Cavallo T, Croker BP, Demetris AJ, Drachenberg CB, Fogo AB, Furness P, Gaber LW, Gibson IW, Glotz D, Goldberg JC, Grande J, Halloran PF, Hansen HE, Hartley B, Hayry PJ, Hill CM, Hoffman EO, Hunsicker LG, Lindblad AS, Yamaguchi Y, et al. The Banff 97 working classification of renal allograft pathology. Kidney Int. 1999 Feb;55(2):713-23. doi: 10.1046/j.1523-1755.1999.00299.x.
• Results Solez K, Axelsen RA, Benediktsson H, Burdick JF, Cohen AH, Colvin RB, Croker BP, Droz D, Dunnill MS, Halloran PF, et al. International standardization of criteria for the histologic diagnosis of renal allograft rejection: the Banff working classification of kidney transplant pathology. Kidney Int. 1993 Aug;44(2):411-22. doi: 10.1038/ki.1993.259.
• Results Nankivell BJ, Chapman JR. The significance of subclinical rejection and the value of protocol biopsies. Am J Transplant. 2006 Sep;6(9):2006-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2006.01436.x. Epub 2006 Jun 22.
• Results de Freitas DG, Sellares J, Mengel M, Chang J, Hidalgo LG, Famulski KS, Sis B, Einecke G, Halloran PF. The nature of biopsies with "borderline rejection" and prospects for eliminating this category. Am J Transplant. 2012 Jan;12(1):191-201. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-6143.2011.03784.x. Epub 2011 Oct 12.

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