Therapeutic algorithms for Crohn’s disease: Where are we in 2012?
Classic management of CD is sequential
A competing treatment concept!
Most Crohn’s disease patients will require surgery
Mortality in Crohn’s disease
Case presentation: Active CD
Endoscopy shows both TI and cecal involvement
Endoscopic image showing deep ulcerations
National Cooperative Crohn's Disease Study (NCCDS): Induction of remission in Crohn's disease
Mesalamine (5-ASA): Induction of remission in Crohn's disease
5-ASA for induction of remission in Crohn's disease: A meta-analysis
Corticosteroids in IBD
Budesonide absorption and metabolism
Budesonide vs mesalamine: Induction of remission
Azathioprine (AZA) maintenance therapy after corticosteroid-induction in Crohn's disease
Combination induction therapy 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) + prednisone
Rates of surgery for CD and the use of immunosuppressives over 3 decades
Methotrexate: Widely used to treat severe arthritis in the past
Methotrexate results: Remission
Results: Time to relapse
Anti-TNFα-inhibitors
Maintenance of remission in Crohn's disease
Adalimumab + methotrexate in early rheumatoid arthritis: PREMIER study
Remission rate at Week 52 in CHARM by immunosuppressive use
Azathioprine monotherapy vs infliximab + azathioprine in steroid-dependent CD
Early combination therapy vs conventional management of Crohn’s disease
Use of drug with conventional or early aggressive therapy
Early aggressive therapy vs conventional management of Crohn’s disease
Early combination therapy vs conventional management of Crohn’s disease: Complete disappearance of ulceration
SONIC: Clinical remission without corticosteroids at Week 26
Optimum efficacy by treatment of patients with objective measures of inflammation
Schematic overview of COMMITT trial design
COMMITT: Proportion of patients with treatment success
OK, so we just treat everyone with combination therapy forever!!??
Predictors of rapid progression to surgery
Prognosis of CD patients with severe colonic ulceration
Positive serology and risk of progression
High risk patients should be considered for early treatment with combined therapy
Back to our CD case
Kaplan-Meier CD-related hospitalization: CHARM
Safety data from the TREAT registry
Lymphoma risk and IBD Lymphoma risk is well established Special case of HTCL Non-melanoma skin cancer similarly elevated Highly concerning to patients
Methotrexate and lymphoma risk “The hypothesis that disease-modifying drugs, and in particular methotrexate, would increase the lymphoma risk receives little support.” Baecklund et al, Current Opinion Rheumatology 2004; 16(3): 254–61 “Insufficient data are available to fully assess the risk of lymphoma and malignancies, although there is no strong evidence of increased risk.” Salliot & van der Heijde, Ann Rheum Dis 2009; 68: 1100–4 “Recent work suggests that it is the disease itself, not its treatment, that is associated with increased risk of lymphoma in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.” Kaiser, Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma 2008; 8(2): 87–93
Four emerging concepts in CD Objective evidence of the presence of inflammation should drive clinical decision making, not the presence of symptoms in isolation The pharmacokinetics of TNFα-inhibitors are complex and therapy should be optimized for individual patients Combining antimetabolite therapy and a TNFα-inhibitor results in optimal efficacy and protects the latter against sensitization Step-care is obsolete (CD vs UC?)