Stiller 1983.

Methods	Study design: parallel RCT Time frame: 1982 to 1983 Follow‐up period: not reported Primary endpoint: not reported
Participants	Country: Canada Setting: multicentre (9 centres) First or subsequent cadaveric or living kidney transplant; > 12 years Number (randomised): no steroids group (33); maintenance group (36) Mean age: no steroids group (35 years); maintenance group (35 years) Sex (female): no steroids group (33%); maintenance group (36%) Donor source (living donor): no steroids group (18%); maintenance group (36%) Exclusion criteria: acute or progressive liver disease; previous generalised or metastatic malignancy; localised malignancy within the previous year; disease requiring maintenance steroid
Interventions	Treatment group No steroids at any time Control group Steroid maintenance Baseline immunosuppression CsA: prior to transplantation: 15 mg/kg, thereafter 7.5 mg/kg twice daily adjusted to trough levels: day 1 to 60: 100 to 300 ng/mL; thereafter: 50 to 200 ng/mL Steroids Maintenance group: prednisone: 1 mg/kg alternate day reduced by 5 mg every other day to 0.3 mg/kg/d
Outcomes	Mortality Graft loss Acute rejection Infection CMV infection Malignancy SCr (mg/dL)
Notes	Did not report number screened for eligibility or analysed Number of patients discontinued treatment No steroids group: switched to different immunosuppression: AZA + steroids (6), steroids added (12) Maintenance group: switched to AZA + steroids (3)
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Low risk	'A computer‐derived randomised blocks of varying size was generated and noted in a series of opaque envelopes held by the research pharmacist at each participating centre.'
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Low risk	Stated 'opaque envelopes'
Blinding (performance bias and detection bias) All outcomes	High risk	Open‐label
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	High risk	Open‐label
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Low risk	Outcomes are objective hard endpoints
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Unclear whether ITT analysis performed and whether all patients have been followed up or accounted for
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Low risk	Primary outcomes for this review reported
Other bias	High risk	The study was supported by Medical Research Council of Canada; Richard and Jean Ivey Fund, London, Ontario; Sandoz Ltd, Basel; the Micheal Fung Endowment Fund, London, Ontario; the University Hospital Transplant Research Fund, London, Ontario