Prediction of long-term remission in patients following discontinuation of anti-TNF therapy in ulcerative colitis: a 10 year follow up study

• Published in: BMC gastroenterology 2022-11, Vol.22 (1), p.459-9, Article 459
• Main Authors: Johnsen, Kay-Martin, Florholmen, Jon, Moe, Øystein K, Gundersen, Mona, Beilfuss, Julia, Kileng, Hege, Sørbye, Sveinung W, Goll, Rasmus
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Anti-TNF therapy; Biological markers; Biological therapy; Biomarkers; Biopsy; Care and treatment; Clinical outcomes; Colitis, Ulcerative - drug therapy; Colitis, Ulcerative - surgery; Cytokines; Diagnosis; Endoscopy; Follow-Up Studies; Gastroenterology; Gene expression; Health aspects; Humans; Immunology; Immunotherapy; Inflammatory bowel disease; Medical screening; Mesalamine - therapeutic use; Mucosa; Patients; Phenotypes; Precision medicine; Recurrence; Regression (Disease); Remission; Remission (Medicine); Remission Induction; Salicylic acid; Surgery; Tumor necrosis factor; Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Tumor necrosis factor-TNF; Ulcerative colitis
• ISSN: 1471-230X; 1471-230X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12876-022-02522-4

The long-term outcomes of Ulcerative colitis (UC) after discontinuation of biological therapy are largely unknown. There is also a lack of accurate and validated markers that can predict outcome after withdrawal accurately. The aims of this study were to describe the long-term outcomes in UC patients following cessation of anti-TNF therapy and explore potential biomarkers as an approach towards precision medicine. Seventy-five patients with moderate to severe UC treated to remission with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were included in the study. This is a follow-up of previously reported UC outcomes. The patients were categorized as either "Remission" or "Relapse". The "Relapse" group was divided into subgroups determined by the highest treatment level needed to obtain remission the last 3 years of observation: non-biological therapy, biological therapy or colectomy. Remission were divided in long term remission (LTR), those using immunomodulating drugs (LTR + imids) and those using only 5-amino-salicylate (5-ASA) treatment (LTR) for the past 3 years. Analyses of mucosal gene expression by real-time PCR were performed. The median (IQR) observation time of all patients included was 121 (111-137) months. Of the 75 patients, 46 (61%) did not receive biological therapy, including 23 (31%) in LTR ± imids. Of these 23 patients, 16 (21%) were defined as LTR with a median observation time of (IQR) 95 (77-113) months. In total 14 patients (19%) underwent colectomy during the 10 years after first remission. Mucosal TNF copies/µg mRNA