Efficacy and safety of basiliximab and antithymocytc globulin in immune induction in kidney transplantation: A Meta-analysis

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of basiliximab (BAS) and antithymocytc globulin (ATG) in immune induction therapy in kidney transplantation by systematic review and Meta-analysis. Methods Prospective randomized controlled clinical trials screening and comparing BAS and ATG in immune induction therapy in kidney transplantation were systematically searched from global databases, screened and compared. The quality of clinical trials was evaluated by Jadad scoring system and data extraction was performed. The effects of BAS and ATG on the incidence of acutc rejection, survival rate of kidney allografts, survival rate of recipients, incidence of delayed graft function, infection, cytomegalovirus infection, malignant tumor, leukopenia and thrombocytopenia at 1 year after kidney transplantation were analyzed. Results A total of 10 clinical trials in English consisting of 1 721 kidney transplant recipients were searched, including 883 cases in the ATG group and 838 cases in the BAS group. No significant differences were observed in the incidence of acute rejection, survival rate of kidney allografts, survival rate of recipients, incidence of delayed graft function, infection, cytomegalovirus infection and thrombocytopenia at postoperative 1 year between the ATG and BAS groups (all />>0.05). The incidence of malignant tumor and leukopenia at postoperative 1 year in the ATG group were significantly higher than those in the BAS group (both .P<0.05). Conclusions The use of ATG and BAS for immune induction therapy in kidney transplantation yield equivalent efficacy at postoperative 1 year, but BAS is safer than ATG. Clinical trials related to stratified analyses of immune risk are urgently required to achieve individualized precision treatment.