Welcome to This Week in Rheumatology. This week we're covering 8 notable papers spanning several key areas, including new therapeutic strategies for diseases like Sjögren's and GCA, ways to optimize outcomes in psoriatic arthritis and RA-associated lung disease, and practical guidance on vaccination and clinical trial methodology. Let's dive in.

This week's papers:

1. Resetting autoimmune disease with CAR cell therapies — Nature medicine 2026
2. Treatment strategies in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica: beyond glucocorticoids — Nature reviews. Rheumatology 2026
3. Repurposing leflunomide and hydroxychloroquine to treat Sjögren's disease (RepurpSS-II): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 2b trial — The Lancet. Rheumatology 2026
4. Repair of radiographic joint damage in psoriatic arthritis: a cohort study — Rheumatology (Oxford, England) 2026
5. Recombinant zoster vaccine in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases: efficacy, long-term protection and safety under immunosuppression — RMD open 2026
6. Validation of screening criteria for interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis in routine clinical practice: the VAR-EPIDSER study — RMD open 2026
7. The American College of Rheumatology Updated Recommended Methods for Development of Disease Classification and Response Criteria — Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.) 2026

Listen at AudioScholar