Table 6.
Immunotherapy practice patterns.
| Study period |
P-value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First (1989–1997) | Second (1997–2005) | Third (2005–2013) | Second + third | ||
| N 233a | 19 (8%) | 56 (24%) | 158 (68%) | 214 | – |
| Treatment categoriesb | <0.001*c | ||||
| One agent | 13 (68%) | 27 (48%) | 74 (47%) | 101 (47%) | |
| Two-agents | 6 (32%) | 23 (41%) | 65 (41%) | 88 (41%) | |
| Three or more agents | 0 | 6 (11%) | 19 (12%) | 25 (12%) | |
| Treatment agents | <0.001* | ||||
| Monotherapies | 0.02 | ||||
| Corticosteroids only | 2 (10%) | 9 (16%) | 24 (15%) | 33 (15%) | |
| Corticotropin only | 7 (37%) | 11 (20%) | 25 (15%) | 36 (17%) | |
| IVIg only | 4 (21%) | 6 (11%) | 24 (15%) | 30 (14%) | |
| Combination therapies | <0.001* | ||||
| Steroids and IVIg only | 2 (10%) | 7 (12%) | 31 (20%) | 38 (18%) | |
| Corticotropin and IVIg only | 4 (21%) | 12 (21%) | 30 (19%) | 42 (20%) | |
| Multiple agents | 0 | 11 (20%) | 24 (15%) | 35 (16%) | |
| Types of multiple agents | n.a. | ||||
| Cyclophosphamide | 0 | 6 (55%) | 14 (58%) | 20 (57%) | |
| Rituximab | 0 | 0 | 10 (42%) | 10 (28%) | |
| Azathioprine | 0 | 2 (18%) | 0 | 2 (6%) | |
| Mycophenolate | 0 | 3 (27%) | 0 | 3 (9%) | |
IVIg, intravenous immunoglobulin.
aPatients on active treatment at time of initial evaluation by the NPMC.
bN and % by column.
cChi square test of first period vs combined second and third period. Individual treatment periods did not differ statistically, but the combined second and third periods, which were alike, differed significantly from the first period.
*Statistically significant after Bonferroni corrections requiring P < 0.012.
n.a., individual comparisons of other agents in combination therapy could not be performed for rituximab due to 0 values for first and second study periods.