Skip to main content

Table 4 Points to consider when deciding on a treatment regimen for a patient with active Wegener's granulomatosis

From: Wegener's granulomatosis: current and upcoming therapies

Is the disease active?

Differentiate active disease from:

 

   Chronic sequelae of disease

 

   Medication toxicity

 

   Other diseases (in particular, infection)

How severe is the active disease?

Immediately life-threatening disease necessitates initial treatment with cyclophosphamide and glucocorticoids

What organ sites are being affected?

Certain sites of organ involvement, particularly subglottic stenosis, may not require or may not respond to systemic immunosuppressive therapy

What is the data on different therapeutic regimens?

What is the data for the regimen being considered (see Table 3)?

 

   Has the regimen improved survival?

 

   What is the likelihood of inducing remission?

 

   What is the relapse rate?

 

   What are the known toxicities?

Consideration of individual patient factors

History of medication toxicity

 

Contraindications to certain medications

 

Presence of previous organ damage

 

Relapse history with past treatment regimens

 

Age

 

Gender