Intestinal Research (Jan 2018)

Efficacy of restarting anti-tumor necrosis factor α agents after surgery in patients with Crohn's disease

  • Sakiko Hiraoka,
  • Shiho Takashima,
  • Yoshitaka Kondo,
  • Toshihiro Inokuchi,
  • Yuusaku Sugihara,
  • Masahiro Takahara,
  • Seiji Kawano,
  • Keita Harada,
  • Jun Kato,
  • Hiroyuki Okada

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5217/ir.2018.16.1.75
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 16, no. 1
pp. 75 – 82

Abstract

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Background/AimsThe efficacy of anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNFα) antibodies for postoperative Crohn's disease (CD) in patients who were treated with these agents prior to surgery is largely unknown.MethodsCD patients who underwent intestinal resection and received anti-TNFα agents after surgery were divided into 2 groups according to the presence or absence of preoperative anti-TNFα treatment: anti-TNFα restart group or anti-TNFα naïve group. Endoscopic recurrence after surgery was examined according to the preoperative conditions, including administration of anti-TNFα agents before surgery.ResultsThirty-six patients received anti-TNFα antibody after surgery: 22 in the anti-TNFα restart group and 14 in the anti-TNFα naïve group. Endoscopic recurrence after surgery was more frequently observed in the anti-TNFα restart group than in the anti-TNFα naïve group (68% vs. 14%, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed the following significant risk factors of endoscopic recurrence after surgery: anti-TNF restart group (odds ratio [OR], 28.10; 95% CI, 3.08–722.00), age at diagnosis <23 years (OR, 24.30; 95% CI, 1.67–1,312.00), serum albumin concentration at surgery <3.3 g/dL (OR, 34.10; 95% CI, 1.72–2,804.00), and presence of inflammation outside of the surgical site (OR, 21.40; 95% CI, 1.02–2,150.00). Treatment intensification for patients with endoscopic recurrence in the anti-TNFα restart group showed limited responses, with only 1 of 12 patients achieving endoscopic remission.ConclusionsThe efficacy of restarting anti-TNFα antibody treatment after surgery was limited, and treatment intensification or a change to different classes of biologics should be considered for those patients.

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