The effect of treatment on radiological progression in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials

Objective. To undertake a systematic review of randomized placebo-controlled trials to assess and rank the efficacy of pharmacological interventions in preventing radiological progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Methods. The two outcome measures were the weighted standardized mean difference and the odds of progression of X-ray scores pooled as close to 12 months as possible to minimize heterogeneity. Results. A total of 38 trials were identified. Of these, 13 were excluded, leaving data on 3907 subjects. Infliximab, cyclosporin, sulphasalazine, leflunomide, methotrexate, parenteral gold, corticosteroids, auranofin and interleukin 1 receptor antagonist were statistically better than placebo in terms of change in erosion scores. All agents were equivalent statistically, with the exception of infliximab (which was superior to the last five agents). There were similar findings for the odds of progression, with the exception of auranofin (P=0.06) and the infliximab-methotrexate comparison (P=0.07). Other agents did not reach statistical significance in either outcome measure. With the exception of the antimalarials, the magnitude of the effect was consistent with the effect seen in short-term disease activity trials. Conclusion. There is published evidence which supports the efficacy of nine agents in decreasing radiological progression in rheumatoid arthritis.