Clinical trial progress of Rituximab therapy in children with primary nephrotic syndrome / 中华实用儿科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

Primary nephritic syndrome (PNS) is the most common glomerular disease in children.Glucocorticoid alone or concurrent with immunosuppressive agents is the main treatment for various types of PNS.However, about 20% of children with PNS still show frequent relapse or steroid dependence during or after withdrawal of hormones and/or immunosuppressive agents.For these children, the long-term and high-dose use of hormones and/or immunosuppressive agents cause serious side effects and even intolerance.Additionally, there are 1%-3% children with PNS showing no response to hormones and all immunosuppressive agents, and they need new treatment regiments.In recent 15 years, there have been increasing clinical trials on the treatment of various types of PNS with Rituximab (RTX). The study results show that RTX can prolong the remission period of PNS and reduce the dose and side effects of hormones and immunosuppressive agents.Moreover, some randomized controlled trials revealed that RTX can be used as a potential first-line drug for hormone-dependent or frequently-relapsing PNS or a second-line treatment for hormone-resistant PNS.In this article, the latest clinical trial designs and results of RTX in the treatment of PNS in children in recent years were summarized, so as to provide reference for the clinical practice and research of RTX in the treatment of PNS.