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. 2019 Dec;50(11-12):1195-1203.
doi: 10.1111/apt.15547. Epub 2019 Oct 22.

Stopping anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in patients with perianal Crohn's disease

Joyce Wing Yan Mak  1 , Whitney Tang  1 , Terry Cheuk Fung Yip  1 , Zhi Hua Ran  2 , Shu Chen Wei  3 , Vineet Ahuja  4 , Sudheer Kumar  4 , Wai Keung Leung  1 , Ida Hilmi  5 , Julajak Limsrivilai  6 , Satimai Aniwan  6 , Belsy C Y Lam  1 , Kam Hon Chan  1 , Ka Man Ng  1 , Chi Man Leung  1 , Michael K K Li  1 , Fu Hang Lo  1 , Alex Shun Fung Sze  1 , Steven Woon Choy Tsang  1 , Aric J Hui  1 , Juanda Leo Hartono  7 , Siew C Ng  1
Affiliations

Stopping anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in patients with perianal Crohn's disease

Joyce Wing Yan Mak et al. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2019 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Little is known of the outcome of patients with perianal Crohn's disease after stopping anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy.

Aim: To evaluate the rate of relapse in perianal Crohn's disease (CD) after stopping anti-TNF therapy.

Methods: Consecutive perianal CD patients treated with anti-TNF therapy with subsequent discontinuation were retrieved from prospective inflammatory bowel disease database of institutes in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore from 1997 to June 2019. Cumulative probability of perianal CD relapse was estimated using Kaplan-Meier method.

Results: After a median follow-up of 89 months (interquartile range [IQR]: 65-173 months), 44 of the 78 perianal CD patients (56.4%) relapsed after stopping anti-TNF, defined as increased fistula drainage or recurrence of previously healed fistula, after stopping anti-TNF therapy. Cumulative probabilities of perianal CD relapse were 50.8%, 72.6% and 78.0% at 12, 36 and 60 months, respectively. Younger age at diagnosis of CD [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 1.04; 95% CI 1.01-1.09; P = .04] was associated with a higher chance of perianal CD relapse. Among those with perianal CD relapse (n = 44), retreatment with anti-TNF induced remission in 24 of 29 patients (82.8%). Twelve (27.3%) patients required defunctioning surgery and one (2.3%) required proctectomy. Maintenance with thiopurine was not associated with a reduced likelihood of relapse [HR = 1.10; 95% CI: 0.58-2.12; P = .77]. Among the 17 patients who achieved radiological remission of perianal CD, five (35.3%) developed relapse after stopping anti-TNF therapy after a median of 6 months.

Conclusions: More than half of the perianal CD patients developed relapse after stopping anti-TNF therapy. Most regained response after resuming anti-TNF. However, more than one-fourth of the perianal CD patients with relapse required defunctioning surgery. Radiological assessment before stopping anti-TNF is crucial in perianal CD.

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References

REFERENCES

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