OBJECTIVE

The efficacy of tofacitinib (TOF) in the early diagnosis of melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5)-related interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been described. However, whether TOF exposure is associated with a reduced 1-year mortality rate remains undetermined.

METHODS

Patients diagnosed with MDA5-ILD receiving TOF or tacrolimus (TAC) treatment were included. A Cox proportional hazards model, which was adjusted for age, sex, smoking history, anti-MDA5 antibody titers, and concurrent use of other steroid-sparing agents, was performed to compare all-cause mortality and to investigate the risk factors predicting 1-year mortality rates in the 2 treatment groups.

RESULTS

During the study period, 26 patients were treated with TOF and 35 were treated with TAC. The 6-month (38.5% vs 62.9%; = 0.03) and 1-year (44.0% vs 65.7%; = 0.03) mortality rates in the TOF group were significantly lower than those in the TAC group. There were 13 patients diagnosed with rapidly progressive ILD (RP-ILD) in the TOF group and 22 in the TAC group. The majority of deaths occurred in patients with RP-ILD. The 6-month (76.9% vs 95.5%; = 0.02) and 1-year (84.6% vs 100.0%; = 0.02) mortality rates of patients with RP-ILD in the TOF group were also lower than those in the TAC group, respectively. The adjusted model showed that TOF exposure was associated with a lower risk for 1-year mortality (hazard ratio 0.44, 95% CI 0.20-0.96; = 0.04). However, the incidence of adverse events (73.1% vs 74.3%; > 0.99) and medication discontinuation rates (23.1% vs 14.3%; = 0.50) in the TOF and TAC groups were similar, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Our observational study showed that TOF use might have a potential effect on improving the outcomes of MDA5-ILD. Future clinical trials are needed to assess the long-term efficacy and tolerability of TOF.