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©The Author(s) 2026.
World J Transplant. Mar 18, 2026; 16(1): 111959
Published online Mar 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i1.111959
Published online Mar 18, 2026. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v16.i1.111959
Table 1 Characteristics of the matched cohort, n (%)/median (interquartile range)
| Variables | Basiliximab (n = 160) | Alemtuzumab (n = 102) | Total (n = 262) | P value |
| Age(years) [mean (SD)]1 | 51.1 (13.6) | 51.2 (13.4) | 51.1 (13.5) | 0.952 |
| Sex (female) | 62 (38.8) | 41 (40.2) | 103 (39.3) | 0.815 |
| Ethnicity1 | ||||
| White | 146 (91.2) | 96 (94.1) | 242 (92.4) | 0.773 |
| Asian | 10 (6.2) | 4 (3.9) | 14 (5.3) | |
| Black | 3 (1.9) | 1 (1.0) | 4 (1.5) | |
| Other | 1 (0.6) | 1 (1.0) | 2 (0.8) | |
| Primary renal disease | ||||
| Adult polycystic kidney disease | 39 (24.2) | 14 (13.9) | 53 (20.2) | 0.048 |
| Glomerulonephritis | 42 (26.1) | 27 (26.7) | 69 (26.3) | |
| Diabetic kidney disease | 19 (11.8) | 14 (13.9) | 33 (12.6) | |
| Reflux/chronic pyelonephritis | 18 (11.2) | 14 (13.9) | 32 (12.2) | |
| Other | 28 (17.4) | 29 (28.7) | 57 (21.8) | |
| Unknown | 15 (9.3) | 3 (3.0) | 18 (6.9) | |
| Recipient diabetes | 28 (17.6) | 17 (17.3) | 45 (17.5) | 0.957 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) [mean (SD)] | 27.6 (4.4) | 27.0 (4.9) | 27.4 (4.6) | 0.318 |
| Pre-emptive transplant | 67 (41.9) | 20 (19.6) | 87 (33.2) | < 0.001 |
| Donor type1 | ||||
| Living donor | 63 (39.4) | 38 (37.3) | 101 (38.5) | 0.346 |
| Donation after brain death | 41 (25.6) | 20 (19.6) | 61 (23.3) | |
| Donation after circulatory death | 56 (35.0) | 44 (43.1) | 100 (38.2) | |
| Donor CMV | 93 (58.1) | 50 (49.0) | 143 (54.6) | 0.149 |
| Recipient CMV | 89 (55.6) | 51 (50.0) | 140 (53.4) | 0.373 |
| Recipient Epstein-Barr virus | 45 (90.0) | 87 (96.7) | 132 (94.3) | 0.103 |
| HLA-DR mismatch [mean (SD)]1 | 0.7 (0.6) | 0.7 (0.6) | 0.7 (0.6) | 0.979 |
| Total HLA mismatch [mean (SD)]1 | 2.6 (1.4) | 2.6 (1.5) | 2.6 (1.4) | 0.987 |
| Crossmatch positive1 | 1 (0.6) | 1 (1.0) | 2 (0.8) | 0.738 |
| Pannel reactive antibodies [mean (SD)]1 | 22.4 (33.8) | 25.6 (35.8) | 23.7 (34.5) | 0.471 |
| Cold ischemia time1 | 11.0 (4.0-17.0) | 12.0 (5.0-15.0) | 11.5 (5.0-15.8) | 0.906 |
| Calcineurin inhibitor | ||||
| Tacrolimus | 156 (97.5) | 102 (100.0) | 258 (98.5) | 0.274 |
| Cyclosporin | 3 (1.9) | 0 (0.0) | 3 (1.1) | |
| Other | 1 (0.6) | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.4) | |
| Antimetabolite | ||||
| Mycophenolic acid | 150 (93.8) | 97 (95.1) | 247 (94.3) | 0.123 |
| Azathioprine | 9 (5.6) | 2 (2.0) | 11 (4.2) | |
| None | 1 (0.6) | 3 (2.9) | 4 (1.5) | |
| Steroid maintenance | 30 (22.2) | 22 (21.6) | 52 (21.9) | 0.904 |
| Baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate | 47.0 (36.0-57.0) | 43.0 (33.0-53.0) | 45.5 (35.0-54.8) | 0.093 |
Table 2 Unadjusted outcomes in basiliximab vs alemtuzumab, n (%)/median (interquartile range)
| Outcomes | Basiliximab (n = 160) | Alemtuzumab (n = 102) | Total (n = 262) | P value |
| One-year estimated glomerular filtration rate | 53.5 (42.0-65.0) | 46.5 (34.0-54.8) | 50.0 (40.0-62.0) | < 0.001 |
| Cytomegalovirus viremia | 21 (13.2) | 31 (30.4) | 52 (19.9) | < 0.001 |
| Epstein-Barr virus viremia | 6 (3.8) | 11 (10.8) | 17 (6.5) | 0.025 |
| BK viremia | 18 (11.3) | 21 (20.6) | 39 (14.9) | 0.040 |
| Acute rejection throughout the follow up period | 10 (7.6) | 19 (18.6) | 29 (12.4) | 0.012 |
| Post-transplant glomerulonephritis | 5 (3.2) | 4 (3.9) | 9 (3.5) | 0.744 |
| Post transplant malignancy | 6 (4.3) | 12 (11.9) | 18 (7.5) | 0.027 |
- Citation: Chukwu CA, Kalra PA, Lowe M, Poulton K, Augustine T, Rao A. Outcomes of basiliximab vs alemtuzumab induction in kidney allograft recipients with matched immunological Profiles: A retrospective cohort study. World J Transplant 2026; 16(1): 111959
- URL: https://www.wjgnet.com/2220-3230/full/v16/i1/111959.htm
- DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.5500/wjt.v16.i1.111959