Therapeutic efficacy of denosumab for rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Factors influencing therapeutic efficacy of denosumab against osteoporosis in systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

Osteoporosis is a common comorbidity in patients with SLE, and bone loss in patients with SLE has a multifactorial aetiology. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of denosumab in patients with SLE with osteoporosis and to analyse the factors influencing therapeutic efficacy.

METHODS

A total of 166 patients with SLE with osteoporosis who initiated denosumab between January 2016 and December 2023 were included. Changes in the T-score and areal bone mineral density (BMD) at the lumbar spine, total hip and femur neck from denosumab initiation to 12 months were measured. Correlation analysis was performed between the degree of BMD improvement and covariates including SLE-specific factors such as SLE duration, SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) score, glucocorticoid dose and hydroxychloroquine use. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of the therapeutic efficacy of denosumab.

RESULTS

Denosumab significantly increased BMD and decreased bone turnover markers at 12 months compared with baseline. The degree of BMD improvement revealed a significant negative correlation with SLEDAI-2K score, hydroxychloroquine use, prior osteoporosis treatment and baseline BMD values. In contrast, body mass index and c-telopeptide of collagen type 1 levels were positively correlated with the degree of BMD improvement. Higher baseline BMD values, SLEDAI-2K scores and hydroxychloroquine use were significant predictors of attenuated BMD improvement.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggests that denosumab is an effective treatment option for osteoporosis in patients with SLE. The therapeutic efficacy of denosumab can be predicted by baseline BMD values, SLEDAI-2K scores and hydroxychloroquine use.

Osteoporosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Review of Current Understanding and Practice

This review presents a current perspective on the association between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoporosis. Many factors contribute to the increased risk of osteoporosis and fracture in RA patients. These factors include advanced age, duration of disease, long-term glucocorticoid use, and poor inflammation control inflammation in RA. This review discusses current guidelines and their limitations in assessing bone health in RA-related osteoporosis. Available anti-osteoporotic treatments, their mechanisms of action, and their potential benefits in managing the interaction between RA and osteoporosis are discussed. We also consider potential advancements, including areas of future development in RA and osteoporosis diagnosis and management.

Denosumab improves bone mineral density and microarchitecture in rheumatoid arthritis: randomized controlled trial by HR-pQCT

INTRODUCTION

This pre-specified exploratory analysis investigated the effect of denosumab on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone microarchitecture in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treated with conventional synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this open-label, parallel-group study, patients were randomly assigned (1:1) to continuous treatment with csDMARDs plus denosumab or continuous treatment with csDMARD therapy alone for 12 months. BMD and bone microarchitecture were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT).

RESULTS

Of 46 patients enrolled in the primary study, 43 were included in the full analysis set. The mean age was 65.3 years, 88.4% were female, and 60.5% had osteoporosis. Areal BMD of the lumbar spine increased from baseline to 6 and 12 months in both groups, but the increase was higher in the csDMARDs plus denosumab group. Areal BMD of the total hip and femoral neck increased from baseline to 6 and 12 months only in the csDMARDs plus denosumab group. Cortical volumetric BMD and cortical thickness of the distal tibia increased in the csDMARDs plus denosumab group at 6 and 12 months but decreased in the csDMARD therapy alone group. Trabecular bone parameters of the distal tibia improved only in the csDMARDs plus denosumab group at 12 months.

CONCLUSION

Denosumab may be recommended for patients with RA treated with csDMARDs to increase BMD and improve bone microarchitecture.

The comparable efficacy of denosumab on bone mineral density in rheumatoid arthritis patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis: A retrospective case-control study

Little is known about differences in the therapeutic efficacy of denosumab in subjects with and without rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study compares the changes in bone mineral density (BMD) between RA patients and controls without RA who had been treated with denosumab for 2 years for postmenopausal osteoporosis. A total of 82 RA patients and 64 controls were enrolled, who were refractory to selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) or bisphosphonates and completed the treatment of denosumab 60 mg for 2 years. The efficacy of denosumab in RA patients and controls was assessed using areal BMD (aBMD) and T-score of the lumbar spine, femur neck, and total hip. A general linear model with repeated measures analysis of variance was used to determine differences in aBMD and T-score between 2 study groups. No significant differences in percent changes in aBMD and T-scores by denosumab treatment for 2 years at the lumbar spine, femur neck, and total hip were evident between RA patients and controls (P > .05 of all), except T-score of the total hip (P = .034). Denosumab treatment equally increased aBMD at the lumbar spine and T-scores at the lumbar spine and total hip between RA patients and controls without statistical differences, but RA patients showed less improvement in aBMD at the femur neck (ptime*group = 0.032) and T-scores at the femur neck and total hip than controls (ptime*group = 0.004 of both). Changes in aBMD and T-scores after denosumab treatment in RA patients were not affected by previous use of bisphosphonates or SERMs. Differences of T-score at the femur neck among previous bisphosphonate users and aBMD and T-score at the femur neck and T-scores at the total hip were evident. This study revealed that 2 years of denosumab treatment in female RA patients achieved comparable efficacy on BMD to controls at the lumbar spine, but showed somewhat insufficient improvement at the femur neck and total hip.

Denosumab Can Prevent Collapse in Patients with Early-Stage Steroid-Induced Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head by Inhibiting Osteoclasts and Autophagy

OBJECTIVE

The osteoclastic bone resorption inhibitors might have positive effect in preventing femoral head collapse in patients with osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). However, as a novel osteoclastic inhibitor, whether denosumab can prevent collapse in steroid-induced ONFH remains unknown. This study aims to evaluate the treatment effect of denosumab and the potential protective mechanism.

METHODS

This was a retrospective study. A total of 161 patients with steroid-induced ONFH who underwent denosumab treatment were reviewed, and 209 untreated patients were selected as controls. Their clinical characteristics and radiological exam results were obtained. Patients were treated with 60 mg denosumab every 6 months for 2 years. The primary outcome was the incidence of femoral head collapse at 2 years after the initial diagnosis of ONFH. Secondary outcomes included the Harris hip score, progression of osteosclerosis, increase in necrotic area, bone marrow oedema relief, and bone mineral density increase in the femoral head. The Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square tests were performed to identify the differences between the continuous and categorical variables, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression model was built to identify the factors associated with the treatment effect of denosumab.

RESULTS

The incidence of femoral head collapse was 42.24% (68/161) in the denosumab group and 54.07% (113/209) in the control group (χ²  = 5.094, p = 0.024; relative risk = 0.787, 95% CI = 0.627-0.973). The excellent-good rates of the Harris hip score were 63.98% (103/161) in the denosumab group and 44.98% (94/209) in the control group (χ²  = 13.186, p < 0.001). The incidence of osteosclerosis progression in the denosumab group was 55.28% (89/161), which was significantly higher than that in the control group (43.54%, 91/209, χ²  = 5.016, p = 0.025). Meanwhile, a significant increase in bone mineral density was identified in 29.19% (47/161) and 7.18% (15/209) of patients in the denosumab and control groups, respectively (χ²  = 31.600, p < 0.001). The osteoclastic cytoplasm expression of LC3-II was more positive in the control group than in the denosumab group (immunohistochemistry scoring: 3.58 ± 2.27 vs 6.33 ± 2.64, Z = -2.684, p = 0.007). A total of three independent factors were considered to be associated with the positive treatment effect of denosumab, the time of first denosumab administration (OR = 2.010, 95% CI = 1.272-3.177), osteosclerosis (OR = 1.583, 95% CI = 1.024-2.445), and the necrotic area before denosumab administration (medium necrotic area: OR = 2.084, 95% CI = 1.245-3.487; large necrotic area: OR = 2.211, 95% CI = 1.255-3.893).

CONCLUSIONS

The current study demonstrated that denosumab had a positive effect on preventing femoral head collapse in patients with steroid ONFH. This effect might be closely associated with the inhibition of osteoclasts and their autophagy.

Mechanisms of Systemic Osteoporosis in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease, is characterized by the presence of symmetric polyarthritis predominantly of the small joints that leads to severe cartilage and bone destruction. Based on animal and human data, the pathophysiology of osteoporosis, a frequent comorbidity in conjunction with RA, was delineated. Autoimmune inflammatory processes, which lead to a systemic upregulation of inflammatory and osteoclastogenic cytokines, the production of autoantibodies, and Th cell senescence with a presumed disability to control the systemic immune system's and osteoclastogenic status, may play important roles in the pathophysiology of osteoporosis in RA. Consequently, osteoclast activity increases, osteoblast function decreases and bone metabolic and mechanical properties deteriorate. Although a number of disease-modifying drugs to treat joint inflammation are available, data on the ability of these drugs to prevent fragility fractures are limited. Thus, specific treatment of osteoporosis should be considered in patients with RA and an associated increased risk of fragility fractures.