Anti-TNF Withdrawal in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

• Main Authors: Joana Torres, Marília Cravo, Jean-Frédéric Colombel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Karger Publishers 2016-05-01
• Series: GE: Portuguese Journal of Gastroenterology
• Subjects: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/drug therapy; Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha/antagonists and inhibitors; Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha/therapeutic use; Withholding Treatment
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2341454515001453

The introduction of the anti-tumor necrosis factorα agents (anti-TNFα) in clinical practice has greatly advanced the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. The use of these medications results in durable remission in a subset of patients, preventing surgery and hospitalizations. However, there are some concerns about safety and costs associated with their long-term use. Therefore, anti-TNF withdrawal has emerged as an important consideration in clinical practice. Herein our goal was to discuss the available evidence about anti-TNFα discontinuation in IBD that could inform the clinician on the expected rates of relapse, the potential predictors of relapse, as well the response to re-treatment.