PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Ronald F van Vollenhoven
AU  - Marta Mosca
AU  - George Bertsias
AU  - David Isenberg
AU  - Annegret Kuhn
AU  - Kirsten Lerstrøm
AU  - Martin Aringer
AU  - Hendrika Bootsma
AU  - Dimitrios Boumpas
AU  - Ian N Bruce
AU  - Ricard Cervera
AU  - Ann Clarke
AU  - Nathalie Costedoat-Chalumeau
AU  - László Czirják
AU  - Ronald Derksen
AU  - Thomas Dörner
AU  - Caroline Gordon
AU  - Winfried Graninger
AU  - Frédéric Houssiau
AU  - Murat Inanc
AU  - Søren Jacobsen
AU  - David Jayne
AU  - Anna Jedryka-Goral
AU  - Adrian Levitsky
AU  - Roger Levy
AU  - Xavier Mariette
AU  - Eric Morand
AU  - Sandra Navarra
AU  - Irmgard Neumann
AU  - Anisur Rahman
AU  - Jozef Rovenský
AU  - Josef Smolen
AU  - Carlos Vasconcelos
AU  - Alexandre Voskuyl
AU  - Anne Voss
AU  - Helena Zakharova
AU  - Asad Zoma
AU  - Matthias Schneider
TI  - Treat-to-target in systemic lupus erythematosus: recommendations from an international task force
AID  - 10.1136/annrheumdis-2013-205139
DP  - 2014 Jun 01
TA  - Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
PG  - 958--967
VI  - 73
IP  - 6
4099  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/73/6/958.short
4100  - http://ard.bmj.com/content/73/6/958.full
SO  - Ann Rheum Dis2014 Jun 01; 73
AB  - The principle of treating-to-target has been successfully applied to many diseases outside rheumatology and more recently to rheumatoid arthritis. Identifying appropriate therapeutic targets and pursuing these systematically has led to improved care for patients with these diseases and useful guidance for healthcare providers and administrators. Thus, an initiative to evaluate possible therapeutic targets and develop treat-to-target guidance was believed to be highly appropriate in the management of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients as well. Specialists in rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology, internal medicine and clinical immunology, and a patient representative, contributed to this initiative. The majority convened on three occasions in 2012–2013. Twelve topics of critical importance were identified and a systematic literature review was performed. The results were condensed and reformulated as recommendations, discussed, modified and voted upon. The finalised bullet points were analysed for degree of agreement among the task force. The Oxford Centre level of evidence (LoE, corresponding to the research questions) and grade of recommendation (GoR) were determined for each recommendation. The 12 systematic literature searches and their summaries led to 11 recommendations. Prominent features of these recommendations are targeting remission, preventing damage and improving quality of life. LoE and GoR of the recommendations were variable but agreement was >0.9 in each case. An extensive research agenda was identified, and four overarching principles were also agreed upon. Treat-to-target-in-SLE (T2T/SLE) recommendations were developed by a large task force of multispecialty experts and a patient representative. It is anticipated that ‘treating-to-target’ can and will be applicable to the care of patients with SLE.