**Abbreviations**

Adverse events, AEs; American college of rheumatology, ACR; cannabinoid receptor type-2, CB2; connective tissue disease-associated ILD, CTD-ILD; cluster of differentiation, CD; cyclic guanosine monophosphate, cGMP; combined response index for systemic sclerosis, CRISS; connective tissue growth factor, CTGF; cyclophosphamide, CYC; diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide, DLCO; fibroblast growth factor receptor, FGFR; forced vital capacity, FVC; health assessment questionnaire disability index, HAQ-DI; high-resolution computed tomography, HRCT; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, IPF; interleukin, IL; interstitial lung disease, ILD; modified Rodnan skin score, mRSS; mycophenolate mofetil, MMF; natural killer, NK; platelet-derived growth factor receptor, PDFGR; pomalidomide, POM; randomized controlled trials, RCT; rituximab, RTX; soluble guanylate cyclase, sGC; systemic sclerosis, SSc; tocilizumab, TCZ; transforming growth factor, TGF; tumor necrosis factor, TNF; vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, VEGFR.
