Identifying the real-world challenges of dysplasia surveillance in inflammatory bowel disease: a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary health network.

BACKGROUND: Dysplasia surveillance in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is often suboptimal and deviates from guidelines. AIMS: To assess dysplasia surveillance behaviours and adherence to guidelines amongst a large tertiary teaching health network with a specialised IBD unit to identify areas where dysplasia surveillance could be improved. METHODS: A retrospective audit of IBD surveillance colonoscopy practice over an 18-month period was performed using the Provation Endoscopy Database and the hospital's primary sclerosing cholangitis database. RESULTS: The audit identified 115 dysplasia surveillance colonoscopies. A total of 37% of index dysplasia colonoscopies were outside recommended guidelines. A total of 10% had inadequate bowel preparation and only 40% had excellent bowel preparation. A total of 28% of patients underwent dye-based chromoendoscopy and 69% underwent high-definition white-light endoscopy. Dye chromoendoscopy was more likely to be used by IBD specialists than interventional endoscopists (P = 0.008) and other endoscopists (P = 0.004). Only IBD specialists and interventional endoscopists used dye chromoendoscopy. Dysplasia or colorectal cancer was detected in 3.4% of the colonoscopies. Overall, the several dysplasia examinations were lower than expected. CONCLUSIONS: Dysplasia surveillance in the IBD population remains an area of improvement given the current national guidelines. IBD specialists are more likely to perform dye chromoendoscopy than other endoscopists/gastroenterologists. Dysplasia rates in this real-world contemporary setting are less than expected in historical studies and may represent improvements in IBD management principles and medications.

Comprehensive review and update of stricturing Crohn's disease.

Up to 50% of patients with Crohn's disease develop a stricture within 10 years of diagnosis. Crohn's strictures can compose of inflammation, fibrosis or smooth muscle expansion and usually a combination of these. There have been numerous new developments in imaging modalities in determining the composition of Crohn's strictures. Magnetic resonance imaging remains the best upfront imaging modality to characterize Crohn's strictures. Gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) has an increasing role in clinical practice, particularly for monitoring stricture response as a treat-to-target tool. Novel imaging techniques to differentiate between fibrosis and inflammatory strictures have been developed including contrast-enhanced GIUS, strain or shear wave elastography with GIUS and multiple new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols, including diffusion weighted, delayed contrast enhancement and magnetization transfer MR protocols. However, these techniques require further validation and standardization. Regarding therapeutics, anti-tumor necrosis agents with a treat-to-target strategy have the highest quality evidence in treating strictures and can lead to stricture regression in some cases. Endoscopic balloon dilatation remains a mainstay in the treatment algorithm of treating predominantly fibrostenotic Crohn's strictures, particularly those which are symptomatic, < 5 cm in length and not causing prestenotic dilatation. Endoscopic balloon dilatation has greater effectiveness in anastomotic strictures. Surgery remains an important treatment option in Crohn's strictures, with segmental resection and stricturoplasty having their own advantages and disadvantages. Kono-S anastomosis may be superior to conventional anastomosis for endoscopic recurrence; however, further high-quality studies are required to confirm this. Using risk stratification models such as the BACARDI risk model is important to guide management decisions between a medical and surgical approach. Early post-operative medical prophylaxis with an advanced therapy is an important consideration to prevent disease recurrence. This review expands on the above topics, highlights research gaps and provides a suggested investigation and management pathway in stricturing Crohn's disease.

Systematic review with meta-analysis of the effectiveness of subcutaneous biologics versus intravenous biologics in inflammatory bowel diseases.

BACKGROUND: Biologic therapies are commonly used for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Multiple biologic medicines can now be given both intravenously and subcutaneously. The different administration routes present provide different advantages regarding dose escalation, healthcare resource utilisation, pharmacokinetics, convenience and safety. Comparator effectiveness studies between intravenous and subcutaneous administration are lacking. AIM: Our primary outcome was to compare the effectiveness between intravenous and subcutaneous biologics in rates of clinical remission. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to include all relevant articles from MEDLINE (Ovid), EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 1 January 2003 to 28 January 2024. Studies that compared intravenous and subcutaneous administration of the same biologic therapy in IBD patients and reported effectiveness outcomes were included. This study was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023442675). RESULTS: Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Nine vedolizumab cohort studies were meta-analysed for clinical remission and no difference was found in clinical remission rates between intravenous and subcutaneous administration (relative risk = 0.99; 95% confidence interval: 0.88, 1.11). Six infliximab cohort studies were meta-analysed for clinical remission and no difference was found in clinical remission rates between intravenous and subcutaneous administration (relative risk = 0.91; 95% confidence interval: 0.77, 1.08). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings in the first meta-analysis comparing the effectiveness of intravenous and subcutaneous biologic therapies in IBD suggest there is no difference in the effectiveness between these two administration routes. However, further high-quality studies, particularly head-to-head studies are needed to confirm this finding.

IBD barriers across the continents: a continent-specific analysis - Australasia.

Australasia, encompassing Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, has some of the highest prevalence's of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world. The way IBD medicine is practiced varies between and within these countries. There are numerous shared issues of IBD care between Australia and New Zealand, whereas Papua New Guinea has its' own unique set of circumstances. This review looks to explore some of the barriers to IBD care across the continent from the perspective of local IBD healthcare professionals. Barriers to IBD care that are explored include access to IBD multidisciplinary teams, provision of nutritional-based therapies, the prevalence and engagement of IBD-associated mental health disorders, access to medicine, access to endoscopy, rural barriers to care, Indigenous IBD care and paediatric issues. We look to highlight areas where improvements to IBD care across Australasia could be made as well as address research needs.

Real-World Cohort Study on the Effectiveness and Safety of Filgotinib Use in Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND: Filgotinib is a small molecule with preferential inhibition of Janus kinase type 1, approved for the treatment of ulcerative colitis in Scotland in May 2022. We present the first real world experience on its use in clinical practice. METHODS: In this retrospective, observational, cohort study we assessed patients with active ulcerative colitis who received filgotinib in NHS Lothian, Scotland. Baseline demographic, phenotype and follow-up data were collected via review of electronic medical records. RESULTS: We included 91 patients with median treatment duration of 39 weeks (IQR 23-49). Among the cohort, 67% (61/91) were biologic and small molecule naïve, whilst 20.9% (19/91) had failed one and 12.1% (11/91) ≥2 classes of advanced therapy. Of the biologic and small molecule naïve patients, 18% (11/61) were also thiopurine naïve. Clinical remission (partial Mayo score <2) was achieved in 71.9% (41/57) and 76.4% (42/55) of patients at weeks 12 and 24 respectively. Biochemical remission (CRP≤5mg/L) was achieved in 87.3% (62/71) at week 12 and 88.9% (40/45) at week 24. Faecal biomarker (calprotectin <250µg/g) remission was achieved in 82.8% (48/58) at week 12 and 79.5% (35/44) at week 24.At the end of follow-up, median 42 weeks (IQR 27-50), 82.4% (75/91) of patients remained on filgotinib. Severe adverse events leading to drug discontinuation occurred in 2.2% (2/91) and there were 8.8% (8/91) moderate adverse events that required temporary discontinuation. CONCLUSION: These are the first reported data on the real-world efficacy and safety of filgotinib in ulcerative colitis. Our findings demonstrate that filgotinib is an effective and low risk treatment option for these patients.

Jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly, and portal lymphadenopathy in a middle-aged female: Is it lymphoma?

Primary biliary cholangitis is a rare liver disease which often progresses to cirrhosis. It can be difficult to diagnose as patients are often asymptomatic initially or merely complain of fatigue or pruritus. We describe the case of a 56-year-old female who presented with a 2-month history of painless jaundice and constitutional symptoms. Computed tomography scan showed massive hepatosplenomegaly with abdominal lymphadenopathy. Liver biopsy and a strongly positive antimitochondrial antibody titer confirmed the diagnosis of primary biliary cholangitis.