To evaluate and integrate conventional and emerging biomarkers for therapeutic response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Approach:
Literature Review: A structured literature search was conducted across PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar, covering publications from January 2000 to June 2026, following PRISMA-informed principles.
Key Findings:
Established markers like rheumatoid factor and anti-citrullinated protein antibodies remain useful but provide incomplete insights into therapeutic response.
Emerging biomarkers such as synovial pathotypes and immune cell subsets offer a more mechanistic understanding of treatment response and resistance.
Precision medicine in RA will require integrated biomarker panels that combine various data types.
Interpretation:
The review highlights the need for predictive biomarkers in RA due to the disease's biological heterogeneity and variable therapeutic responses.
Limitations:
The review is not a formal systematic review and may not capture all relevant studies, potentially affecting the comprehensiveness of the findings.
The integration of biomarkers is still in development and requires further validation.
Conclusion:
Future directions include developing validated models for assigning synovial endotypes to support therapeutic selection.
Ten-year observational data showed lower disease activity and functional disability coinciding with broader use of biologic and targeted synthetic therapies.
