A comparison of cyclophosphamide versus tacrolimus in terms of treatment effect for idiopathic membranous nephropathy: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), which is considered one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in adult patients, is frequently managed with immunosuppressive agents. Both tacrolimus (TAC) and cyclophosphamide (CTX) are recommended as immunosuppressive agents in the management of IMN. However, profound effects and moderate evidence on the two drugs remains poorly defined at this period. The meta-analysis aims to summarize current best evidence on the efficacy as well as safety of TAC and CTX among IMN patients.

METHODS

We searched the publications on comparison of the safety and efficacy of TAC versus CTX for IMN up to April 2018. After rigorous reviewing on the quality, the data was extracted from eligible trials. All trials analyzed the summary hazard ratios (HRs) of the endpoints of interest.

RESULTS

Moderate-strong evidence indicated that tacrolimus and cyclophosphamide had comparable effects on remission rate (either CR or PR) (p>0.05). No significant differences were found in the following parameters: the rates of diarrhea, glucose intolerance (or diabetes mellitus), gastrointestinal syndrome, as well as hypertension because of adverse effects (p>0.05). However, patients with TAC therapy had a higher chance to develop urinary tract infection (p=0.010) and tremor (p=0.006). Additionally, remarkably higher risk existed in leukopenia among the CTX group as compared with the TAC group (p=0.03).

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis presents a comprehensive assessment of current available evidence for the therapy of IMN, indicating a comparable remission rate with both TAC and CTX, while the long-term effects are needed for further verification. Nevertheless, different adverse effect profiles of two groups need careful consideration. Remarkably higher rates of urinary tract infection and tremor were observed among TAC group, while higher risk of leukopenia was found among CTX group. Further research into the treatment efficacy of both drugs is warranted to confirm the present conclusions.