SCOT Scleroderma Treatment Alternative Registry (STAR Registry)

The Scleroderma Cyclophosphamide Or Transplant (SCOT) Trial is a Phase II/III interventional trial comparing two treatments for early, severe scleroderma. These two interventions are high dose immunosuppressive therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation and monthly high dose pulse cyclophosphamide (the later for 12 doses). While standard of care might be considered the optimal control arm for a trial such as this one, no such standard of care is available for the population of scleroderma patients defined by the eligibility criteria for this trial. The rheumatologists on the protocol team believe that the SCOT cyclophosphamide regimen represents the best control arm for this study. However, given concerns over use of a treatment arm as a control that has not been established as a standard of care, this registry was established. The registry will be a prospective, observational study of subjects with severe systemic sclerosis (SSc) who are eligible to participate in the Scleroderma Cyclophosphamide or Transplantation (SCOT) Study but are denied insurance coverage or decline to participate prior to randomization. Subjects will be accrued over the same period as the SCOT study. Subjects will follow the course of treatment prescribed by their treating physician with no interference from the registry. The primary purpose of this study is to document the disease course and outcome in a group of participants who are eligible for the SCOT study, but declined to participate, in order to determine whether their outcome is better, worse, or no different than those who participate in the treatment phase of the trial.