Post-Renal Transplantation Outcomes in Elderly Patients Compared to Younger Patients in the Setting of Early Steroid Withdrawal

Assessing Long-Term Adverse Outcomes in Older Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Propensity Score-Matched Comparison of Early Steroid Withdrawal Versus Continuous Steroid Immunosuppression Using a Large Real-World Database

BACKGROUND

Steroids are widely used in maintenance immunosuppression treatment in kidney transplant recipients. Older individuals undergo age-related immunosenescence that consequently decreases their ability to process and evoke a response to foreign antigens. Thus, steroids may not be necessary in preventing allograft rejection and may consequently increase older recipients' risk of long-term steroid-related adverse effects.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to analyze the adverse outcomes of long-term steroid immunosuppression in older kidney transplant recipients using real-world electronic medical record data.

METHODS

The TriNetX database "US Collaborative Network" was utilized to perform a propensity score-matched case-control study comparing 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year adverse effects of steroid immunosuppression in older adults (aged ≥ 65 years) kidney transplant recipients who underwent either an early-steroid withdrawal (ESW) maintenance regimen or a steroid continuous immunosuppression (SCI) regimen between 31 December, 2010 and 31 December, 2020. Early-steroid withdrawal was defined as tacrolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil maintenance with no prednisone after the seventh day post-transplant. Steroid continuous immunosuppression was defined as tacrolimus plus mycophenolate mofetil plus prednisone maintenance. Cohorts were matched on age, race/ethnicity, and risk factors for adverse steroid-related outcomes and rejection. Outcomes included post-transplant diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia osteoporosis/fractures, myocardial infarction, glaucoma/cataract, stroke, pulmonary embolism, and malignancy. Secondary outcomes analyzed incidences of infection-related outcomes, graft-related outcomes, and recipient mortality.

RESULTS

After matching, there were 304 recipients in each group (ESW, SCI). Mean age at the time of transplant was 69.2 ± 3.7 years (ESW) and 69.2 ± 3.4 years (SCI, p = 0.96). The Kaplan-Meier analysis showed recipients who underwent SCI had increased incidences of post-transplant diabetes mellitus at 1 year (22.36% vs 30.37%, p = 0.01) and 3 years (34.89% vs 44.29%, p = 0.01), but this became non-significant at 5 years post-transplant (41.97% vs 42.6%, p = 0.34). Incidences of acute pancreatitis were higher for the SCI cohort at 3 years (p = 0.02) as well as incidences of acute myocardial infarction at 5 years post-kidney transplant (6.75% vs 14.39%, p < 0.01). No difference was found for other adverse outcomes. Early-steroid withdrawal recipients experienced significantly fewer infection-related outcomes, such as cytomegalovirus, BK virus, sepsis/bacteremia, and fungal infections, compared with SCI recipients. Last, recipients who underwent ESW experienced fewer incidences of rejection and death-censored graft failure at 5 years post-transplant.

CONCLUSIONS

There is currently no standard maintenance immunosuppression protocol for older kidney transplant recipients. Death-censored graft survival, rejection, and patient survival were improved with ESW. Steroid minimization may be beneficial in this population given that it lowers the risk of drug-induced adverse effects.

Does steroid-free immunosuppression improve the outcome in kidney transplant recipients compared to conventional protocols?

Steroids continue to be the cornerstone of immune suppression since the early days of organ transplantation. Steroids are key component of induction protocols, maintenance therapy and in the treatment of various forms of rejection. Prolonged steroid use resulted in significant side effects on almost all the body organs owing to the presence of steroid receptors in most of the mammalian cells. Kidney allograft recipients had to accept the short and long term complications of steroids because of lack of effective alternatives. This situation changed with the intro-duction of newer and more effective immune suppression agents with a relatively more acceptable side effect profile. As a result, the clinicians have been contemplating if it is the time to abandon the unquestionable reliance on maintenance steroids in modern transplantation practice. This review aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of various steroid-minimization approaches (steroid avoidance, early steroid withdrawal, and late steroid withdrawal) in kidney transplant recipients. A meticulous electronic search was conducted through the available data resources like SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and Liverpool University library e-resources. Relevant articles obtained through our search were included. A total number of 90 articles were eligible to be included in this review [34 randomised controlled trials (RCT) and 56 articles of other research modalities]. All articles were evaluating the safety and efficacy of various steroid-free approaches in comparison to maintenance steroids. We will cover only the RCT articles in this review. If used in right clinical context, steroid-free protocols proved to be comparable to steroid-based maintenance therapy. The appropriate approach should be tailored individually according to each recipient immuno-logical challenges and clinical condition.

Post-renal transplant malignancies: Opportunities for prevention and early screening

GOAL OF THE REVIEW

While transplant recipients are aware of increased malignancy risk, there is little consensus on the preventative measures. The goal of this review is to bring available preventative measures to light and prompt more research to be done with ultimate goal of developing an individualized prevention plan for each patient based on risk factors and available screening tools.

INTRODUCTION

Transplant surgery offers patients with end-stage renal disease a longer life expectancy with help of immunosuppressive therapies. Nonetheless, life-long immunosuppression comes at a cost of post-renal transplant malignancies, which have become the leading cause of morbidity in this patient group.

DISCUSSION

Post-renal transplant cancers can develop through either de novo, by donor-related transmission, or recurrence of recipient's pre-transplant cancer. While immunosuppressive therapy is considered to be the leading cause, weakened immunosurveillance of neoplastic cells and inadequate immune response against oncogenic viruses also plays an important role. The most common cancers seen in renal transplant patients are skin cancers and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Risk factors for skin cancers have are ultraviolet light, human papilloma virus infection, and use of cyclosporin and azathioprine. Numerous viral infections have been associated with transplant-related malignancies post-transplant.

CONCLUSION

While lowering of immunosuppressive therapy remains the treatment of choice, it may lead to graft failure. Given some of the presented malignancies have modifiable risk factors and options for screening, clinical outcomes can be improved. Limiting skin exposure, dermatologic screening, and prophylactic retinoids can help lower the incidence rate of skin malignancy. Endoscopic screening for renal transplant patients can help identify gastric adenocarcinoma early and improve survival rates. Some of the post-transplant malignancies have been responsive to anti-viral treatment.

Risk Factors in and Long-Term Survival of Patients with Post-Transplantation Diabetes Mellitus: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) is associated with infection, cardiovascular morbidity, and mortality. A retrospective cohort study involving patients who underwent renal transplantation in a transplantation center in Taiwan from January 2000 to December 2018 was conducted to investigate the incidence and risk factors of PTDM and long-term patient and graft survival rates. High age (45-65 vs. <45 years, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.90, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.64-5.13, p < 0.001), high body mass index (>27 vs. <24 kg/m², aOR = 5.35, 95% CI = 2.75-10.42, p < 0.001), and deceased organ donor (cadaveric vs. living, aOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.03-3.93, p = 0.04) were the three most important risk factors for the development of PTDM. The cumulative survival rate of patients and allografts was higher in patients without PTDM than in those with PTDM (p = 0.007 and 0.041, respectively). Concurrent use of calcineurin inhibitors and mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORis) decreased the risk of PTDM (tacrolimus vs. tacrolimus with mTORi, aOR = 0.28, 95% CI = 0.14-0.55, p < 0.001). Investigating PTDM risk factors before and modifying immunosuppressant regimens after transplantation may effectively prevent PTDM development.

The Current Status of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Prevalence in the MENA Region: A Systematic Review

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a highly prevalent herpesvirus worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), CMV infects people of all ages, and by the age of five, approximately one-third of children in the United States are infected. Although the infection is generally asymptomatic, it can cause severe disease in immunocompromised patients, transplant and transfusion recipients, as well as newborn neonates. The objective of this study is to systematically review published literature on CMV in the MENA region to estimate its incidence in the region and describe its epidemiological and clinical significance. The literature was searched through four scientific databases: PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science. A total of 72 studies from 11 countries satisfied the inclusion criteria, covering a period from 1988-2019. The CMV IgG seroprevalence ranged from 8.7%-99.2% (SD = 38.95%). CMV incidence in these countries ranged between 1.22% and 77% in transplant and transfusion recipients, with an increase in incidence with advanced age. However, the incidence rate was unclear for congenital CMV due to the variability of the reporting. This review highlights the need for more robust and well-designed studies to better estimate CMV incidence in the MENA region, standardize diagnostic criteria, and consider prophylactic and pre-emptive treatments to limit the morbidity and mortality of the disease.