Effectiveness of cyclophosphamide pulse treatment in Wegener's granulomatosis

43 patients with Wegener's granulomatosis were studied to evaluate the effectiveness of cyclophosphamide (cyc) pulse treatment. 42% of the patients showed benefits from treatment for at least 6 months after the cessation of cyc pulses. Analysis of clinical and laboratory parameters indicate that this treatment is less effective in patients in whom more than 4 organ systems are involved. Responders to the treatment showed disease manifestations predominantly in the ENT and lower respiratory tract and had lower cANCA titers (< 1:64) prior to treatment.