ECCO News keeps ECCO Members up-to-date on what is going on within the organisation and reports on IBD activities taking place within Europe. Since Spring 2006, ECCO News has maintained the flow of information between Members of the organisation.
ECCO News is an important part of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation’s ambition to create a European standard of IBD care and to promote knowledge and research in the field of IBD.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is characterised by chronic intestinal inflammation developing in genetically susceptible subjects in association with a dysregulated immune response, intestinal dysbiosis and environmental triggers. IBD is most often polygenic, involving more than 200 risk loci that include over 300 genes identified through genome-wide association studies. Approximately 25% of incident cases of IBD occur during childhood. Among these cases, diagnosis is most commonly made during adolescence, while in about 15% the diagnosis is established prior to six years of age, with up to 6% diagnosed before three years of age. IBD in this subgroup of patients is referred to as “very early onset IBD” (VEO-IBD) and shows significant differences from IBD in older children and in adults. VEO-IBD cases usually present with more severe clinical disease unresponsive to conventional IBD therapy and a greater proportion of cases feature underlying monogenic defects, often involving genes associated with primary immunodeficiencies (PID).
It is with great pleasure that I am sharing with you our discussion with the ECCO National Representatives of Latvia Jelena Derova (former National Representative) and Aleksejs Derovs. During our stimulating talk we touched upon the challenges regarding the diagnosis and access to advanced treatment of IBD in Latvia and the efforts of the small but tightly knit gastroenterological community there to promote knowledge about IBD in primary care and society in general. Furthermore, we conversed about the differences in training and managing complex cases between countries in Eastern and Western Europe and how ECCO could help countries such as Latvia in that aspect!
We are delighted to bring a different colour to our Autumn edition of ECCO News interview corner as we meet and get to know another talented JCC author.
Nora Vladimirova is a Rheumatologist working in Copenhagen who has worked collaboratively within her unit and including the Gastroenterology one to answer important research questions regarding peripheral joint and enthesis involvement in newly diagnosed IBD patients. We hope you enjoy the discussions in both visual and podcast formats and we hope you read the full paper for more details.
Harry Sokol is a prominent gastroenterologist at Saint Antoine Hospital and Sorbonne Université and the President of the French Group of Faecal Microbiota Transplantation. In this edition of the ECCO Interview Corner, Professor Sokol shares his journey into gastroenterology, his pioneering work on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and the gut microbiome and his vision for the future research.
A biomarker-stratified comparison of top-down versus accelerated step-up treatment strategies for patients with newly diagnosed Crohn’s disease (PROFILE): a multicentre, open-label randomised controlled trial
There is debate on the optimal management of newly diagnosed active Crohn’s Disease (CD). The most commonly used treatment strategy around the world is a “step-up” treatment approach. This involves initial use of steroids at diagnosis to induce remission, followed by introduction of immunomodulators such as azathioprine to maintain that remission. Subsequently, if this treatment fails to control inflammation, patients are escalated to advanced therapies such as anti-TNF biological agents. When performed rapidly, this can be referred to as “accelerated step-up” treatment, and indeed in many countries this accelerated step-up approach is considered standard of care (conventional) treatment. An alternative treatment strategy is a more “top-down” approach , where there is early introduction of an advanced therapy, typically an anti-TNF agent.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), comprising the two most common subtypes of Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), are chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, particularly infliximab, have been pivotal in the management of moderate to severe IBD. While effective, intravenous administration of infliximab typically involves regular visits to hospital-based infusion centres. Particularly from a patient convenience point of view, many individuals would prefer to administer medication at home without the need to attend infusion centres and without the need for intravenous administration. The development of a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of infliximab (CT-P13) aims to enhance patient convenience and adherence by allowing self-administration at home [1–3] . In the LIBERTY trials, Hanauer and colleagues sought to examine the efficacy and safety of CT-P13 SC as maintenance therapy in IBD, in two randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials.
At present, disease activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is primarily monitored using faecal calprotectin, serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and endoscopic examination [1]. Whilst these are powerful tools, all three approaches have notable limitations. Faecal calprotectin testing requires a patient either to provide a stool sample whilst attending clinic or to return with a sample at a later date. Serum CRP requires a blood sample to be taken by a healthcare professional and endoscopy is invasive. Interleukin (IL)-6, whilst not routinely used in clinical settings to monitor disease activity, is known to play a role in IBD pathogenesis by increasing T-cell resistance against apoptosis, resulting in chronic inflammation [2].
As we move into the final quarter of the year, this is the perfect time to reflect on our collective achievements and to set our sights on the exciting events that lie ahead.
At Y-ECCO, we’ve been diligently crafting an innovative programme for our upcoming Y-ECCO Science Workshop, designed to bring together our diverse community of basic scientists, clinicians and clinician-scientists. In the last edition of ECCO News, I offered a sneak peek at our shift from the Basic Science Workshop to a more inclusive Science Workshop. This transformation reflects our commitment to fostering collaboration and engagement among all Y-ECCO Members.
Histological scoring systems have been developed to standardise the assessment of microscopic inflammation, offering insights into disease severity, activity, prognosis and response to therapy. There is growing interest in the assessment of histological disease activity based on the concept that histological healing is associated with better clinical outcomes and may be the ultimate therapeutic goal, particularly in Ulcerative Colitis (UC) [1].
The treatment of children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) presents unique challenges, largely due to the complex nature of the disease, the limitations of existing therapies in children and the common off-label use of "newer" agents. Paediatric IBD requires careful management to control inflammation, promote growth and maintain a good quality of life. The treatment armamentarium for IBD in adults has expanded rapidly in the past several years, with the approval of new biologic and small-molecule agents for moderate-to-severe Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Crohn’s Disease (CD) [1–3]. Currently, however, only infliximab and adalimumab are approved for use in children [4, 5]. The fact that all other biologics (vedolizumab, ustekinumab and risankizumab) and new small targeted molecules (tofacitinib, upadacitinib and ozanimod) commonly used in adults have not yet been approved for use in children has led to their widespread off-label use. The use of off-label biologics is often required because approximately 15%–20% of patients with IBD experience primary non-response to anti-TNF agents and another 30%–40% lose response over time [4, 5].