Cyclophosphamide and rATG With Hematopoietic Stem Cell Support in Systemic Scleroderma

Study Summary

Scleroderma is a systemic disorder categorized as an immunologically mediated disease that causes collagen deposition of skin and visceral organs. The molecular pathogenesis of scleroderma has been elusive, although vasculopathy and immune mediated mechanisms are thought to be important. Once extensive cutaneous or visceral disease occurs, prognosis is significantly shorter than the general population. Although various treatments have been tried, none of them seems to have changed the natural history of scleroderma. Standard dose immunosuppressive treatment has been disappointing. Recently, cyclophosphamide at 1-2 mg/kg/day orally or 800-1400 mg intravenous (IV) monthly for 6-9 months has proven effective in treatment of scleroderma alveolitis (1). Recent phase I studies of immunoablation with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) showed some promising data, but the exact efficacy is undetermined (2,3). We now propose, as a phase II randomized study, autologous unmanipulated PBSCT versus pulse cyclophosphamide in patients with systemic scleroderma.

Primary Outcome

-Data are reporting number of participants that were classified as treatment failures Time to Treatment Failure Definition-Treatment failure will not occur until a minimum of 12 months after enrollment at which time failure is defined as: 1. Failure of skin score (if \> 14 on enrollment) to improve or increase in skin score by a 25% above lowest post treatment value and must be documented on 2 occasion 6 months apart 2. Deterioration in diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO)

Conditions Studied

Interventions

• DRUG standard of care
• PROCEDURE stem cell transplantation

Study Locations (1)