Copyright
©2013 Baishideng. All rights reserved.
B cell depletion in scleroderma lung disease: A promising new treatment?
Dimitrios Daoussis, Andrew P Andonopoulos, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Patras University Hospital, University of Patras Medical School, 26504 Patras, Greece
Author contributions: Daoussis D and Andonopoulos AP analyzed the data and drafted the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Dr. Dimitrios Daoussis, MD, Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Patras University Hospital, University of Patras Medical School, Rion, 26504 Patras, Greece. jimdaoussis@hotmail.com
Telephone: +30-2613-603693 Fax: +30-2610-993982
Received: March 21, 2013
Revised: April 23, 2013
Accepted: June 1, 2013
Published online: July 12, 2013
Processing time: 90 Days and 17.1 Hours
Revised: April 23, 2013
Accepted: June 1, 2013
Published online: July 12, 2013
Processing time: 90 Days and 17.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Rituximab (RTX) may be an effective treatment for systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD). A large scale study assessing the efficacy of RTX in SSc associated ILD is warranted. If RTX turns out to be effective, it would be a major therapeutic advance in SSc since it can be administered on a long term basis due to its acceptable safety profile.