Retrospective cohort analysis finds rituximab improves survival and platelet control in ITP compared to TPO-RAs.
Key Points
This research compares the long-term effectiveness of rituximab versus TPO-RAs in treating immune thrombocytopenia (ITP).
Conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records from TriNetX US Collaborative Network.
Identified adult patients diagnosed with ITP receiving either rituximab or TPO-RAs.
Stratified patients into mutually exclusive treatment groups and performed propensity score matching.
Rituximab-treated patients had a 5-year survival rate of 76.8% compared to 69.7% for TPO-RA users (HR 0.735, p<0.001).
Fewer patients in the rituximab group experienced critically low platelet counts (<10,000/μL) at 22.0% versus 34.5% in the TPO-RA group (HR 0.585, p<0.001).
Hospitalization was more frequent in the rituximab group (59.6% vs. 55.1%; HR 1.127, p<0.001).
Rituximab users had a lower incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding (5.3% vs. 6.1%; OR 0.855, p=0.044).
Thrombotic complications were more common in the TPO-RA group, including higher risks of pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.