| Theme |
The frontline of Crohn's disease treatment |
| Title |
Possible anti-TNF-α agent withdrawal |
| Author |
Kenji Watanabe |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City General Hospital |
| Author |
Takehisa Suekane |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City General Hospital |
| Author |
Koji Sano |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City General Hospital |
| Author |
Tomoaki Yamasaki |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City General Hospital |
| Author |
Eiji Sasaki |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City General Hospital |
| Author |
Noriko Kamata |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University |
| Author |
Hirokazu Yamagami |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University |
| Author |
Yasuhiro Fujiwara |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University |
| Author |
Hiroko Nebiki |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City General Hospital |
| Author |
Tetsuo Arakawa |
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka City University |
| [ Summary ] |
Recent investigations have studied remission induction and maintenance therapies that use anti-TNF-α and immunomodulators to determine their efficacy in achieving sustained deep remission (SDR) in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). These studies suggest that, following remission, it may be possible to withdraw anti-TNF-α agents and continue remission maintenance therapy with immunomodulators. Following anti-TNF-α agent discontinuation, CD cases with undetectable anti-TNF-α agent concentrations have been shown to have a low risk for relapse. The long-term safety of remission maintenance therapy is an important issue, particularly because an increased incidence of CD in older individuals is expected over time. |