ObjectiveTo compare the clinical efficacy of cyclophosphamide (CTX) and cyclosporine A (CSA) in initial treatment of children with steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS).MethodsProspectively maintained databases were reviewed to retrospectively compare two cohorts with SRNS that received peroral administration of 2 to 2.5 mg/kg/d CTX for 3 to 6 months or 1 to 5 mg/kg/d CSA for 2 years until the primary analysis cut-off date during 2007 to 2011. The time to first on-study relapse of SRNS was the primary endpoint. The effective rate was the second endpoint.ResultsA total of 127 children with SRNS were included (CTX-treated cohort: n = 62; CSA-treated cohort: n = 65), with a mean 5-year follow-up. CTX-treated children showed a significantly delayed time to first on-study relapse of SRNS compared with CSA-treated children (hazard ratio 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.32–1.75). The relapse rate (rate/year) in CTX-treated children (1.1 ± 0.1) at the 24-month follow-up was significantly higher than that with CSA (0.4 ± 0.2). This difference persisted until the final follow-up.ConclusionsCSA is associated with a significantly lower relapse rate and significantly higher effective rate compared with CTX, especially in children with minimal change disease.

BackgroundCapecitabine plus bevacizumab (CAP-B) maintenance treatment after 6 cycles of capecitabine, oxaliplatin, and bevacizumab (CAPOXB) has demonstrated clinical activity and failure to compromise quality of life in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (MCC) in a previous phase 3 CAIRO3 study. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CAP-B versus CAP in maintenance treatment after 6-cycle CAPOXB induction therapy in Chinese postmenopausal women with untreated characterised KRAS exon 2 wild-type MCC.MethodsDuring 2012–2016, prospectively maintained databases were reviewed to evaluate cohorts with untreated characterised KRAS exon 2 wild-type MCC and stable disease or better after 6-cycle CAPOXB induction treatment. After induction treatment, all patients received either CAP-B or capecitabine (CAP) as maintenance treatment. Median progression-free survival (mPFS) and median overall survival (mOS) were the primary endpoints. Safety was the secondary endpoint.ResultsA total of 263 women with untreated characterised KRAS exon 2 wild-type MCC and stable disease or better after 6-cycle CAPOXB induction treatment were included for the evaluation of efficacy and safety (CAP-B-treated cohort, n = 130 and CAP-treated cohort, n = 133). The mPFS was 11.5 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6–17.4) and 9.2 months (95% CI, 3.6–14.8) for the CAP-B-treated and CAP-treated cohorts, respectively (HR 0.54, 95% CI 0.32~0.85; P = 0.013). The mOS was 16.2 months (95% CI, 11.4–18.7) and 12.4 months (95% CI, 10.6–15.5) for the CAP-B- and CAP-treated cohorts, respectively (HR 0.72, 95% CI 0.51~0.94; P = 0.022). The CAP-B-treated cohort experienced significantly more grade 3 or 4 diarrhoea (P < 0.001) than the CAP-treated cohort.ConclusionsCAP-B maintenance treatment after 6-cycle CAPOX-B in Chinese postmenopausal women with untreated KRAS exon 2 wild-type MCC is poorer tolerated but has a more modest, if any, benefit compared with that of CAP maintenance treatment.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of beraprost sodium (BPS) or clopidogrel (CL) using vascular thromboembolic events (VTEs) of arteriovenous fistula as a primary endpoint in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) undergoing arteriovenous fistula surgery. Methods We performed a multicentre, retrospective cohort study from August 2012 to August 2016. We studied patients with ESRD who underwent arteriovenous fistula surgery and received peroral administration of 40 µg BPS, three times per day, for 1 month, or 75 mg CL (initial dose of 300 mg), one time per day, for 1 month. The time to first on-study VTE was the primary endpoint. Results The BPS-treated cohort had a significantly delayed time to first VTE compared with the CL-treated cohort (hazard ratio 0.33, 95% confidence interval 0.18–0.56). An increased incidence of VTEs was detected in the 1-month follow-up, with rates of 2.4% and 8.7% for BPS and CL, respectively. This difference persisted over time, with rates of 8.0% and 18.1% at the final follow-up, respectively. Conclusion CL-treated patients with ESRD have a greater risk of VTEs compared with BPS-treated patients. CL-treated patients also tend to experience a VTE within the first month after cessation of oral administration.