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The following is a summary of “Outcomes in Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease Based on Serological Profiles: Focus on Anti-Centromere and Anti-RNA Polymerase III Antibodies,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Rheumatology by Volkmann et al. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to compare the progression of systemic sclerosis-associated interstitial lung disease (SSc-ILD) based on serological status.  

They conducted a post-hoc analysis of the SENSCIS trial (nintedanib vs placebo in SSc-ILD; NCT02597933), analyzing the rate of decline in forced vital capacity (FVC) over 52 weeks in three subsets: positive for anti-centromere antibody (ACA), positive for anti-RNA polymerase III antibody (ARA), and negative for ACA, ARA, and anti-topoisomerase I antibody (ATA). 

The results showed that among study participants with baseline serological evaluation, 32/549 (5.8%) were ACA positive, 98/528 (18.6%) were ARA positive, and 127/526 (24.1%) were negative for ACA, ARA, and ATA. In the placebo arm, the adjusted rate of decline in FVC was -31.2 (41.5) mL/year for ACA positive, -64.7 (35.1) mL/year for ARA positive, and -115.6 (35.4) mL/year for negative ACA, ARA, and ATA, compared to -93.3 (13.5) mL/year in the overall population. For nintedanib, the decline in FVC was -91.8 (34.3) mL/year for negative ACA, ARA, and ATA, compared to -52.4 (13.8) mL/year in the overall population. 

Investigators analyzed data from the SENSCIS trial and found that patients with SSc-ILD who were ACA positive or ARA positive experienced progression of SSc-ILD. Patients negative for ACA, ARA, and ATA showed a higher rate of progression than the overall trial population and required closer monitoring. 

Source: jrheum.org/content/early/2025/04/09/jrheum.2024-1063