Corticosteroid avoidance in adult kidney transplant recipients under rabbit anti-T-lymphocyte globulin, mycophenolate mofetil and delayed cyclosporine microemulsion introduction.

We conducted the first prospective, randomized, open-label multicenter study in low-immunologic risk adult recipients of primary cadaver kidney transplants receiving rabbit anti-T-lymphocyte globulin, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine microemulsion introduced on day 5, with and without corticosteroids. Patients were randomly assigned according to age and cold ischemia time to receive corticosteroids for at least 6 months or no corticosteroids at all. The main efficacy evaluation criterion was acute rejection (including all treated episodes and those biopsy-confirmed) during the first year following transplantation.