Laurent Beaugerie © ECCO

 An interview with Gionata Fiorino

During this period when we are so tormented by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Gionata Fiorino, from Humanitas Research Hospital in Milan, agreed to give us his views on the challenges of adapting IBD clinical research.

At the 15th Congress of ECCO in Vienna, the Young ECCO Committee (Y-ECCO) and the Clinical Research Committee of ECCO (ClinCom) jointly conducted a survey of attendees entitled “Decision-making in IBD dysplasia management”. The results are currently being prepared for publication. This project followed on from other successful surveys which led to submission of abstracts at the ECCO Congress and publication of full manuscripts in scientific journals.

Call for proposal of rare cases now open!

ECCO COllaborative Network For Exceptionally Rare Case Reports (CONFER) is an initiative to identify, assemble and report together rare IBD cases of clinical relevance, which are otherwise seldom reported. By joining forces with the many Members and supporters of ECCO, a joint report of all similar rare cases can result in a large case series that will advance our knowledge about these uncommon patients.

Take your study to the next level with the IBD National Study Group Meeting at the ECCO Congress

Shaji Sebastian  © ECCO

One of the missions of the Clinical Research Committee of ECCO (ClinCom) is to facilitate innovative clinical research in the area of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD).

To promote international scientific collaboration among researchers from different European countries, ClinCom established the IBD National Study Group Meeting, which takes place at the annual ECCO Congress. With this great platform, ClinCom enables investigators to have their studies challenged and promoted at the same time. Before the meeting, investigators are invited to provide a study synopsis for their project, including background, design, objectives, outcome parameters, major inclusion and exclusion criteria, statistics and co-variates. Submitted projects are then reviewed by ClinCom and, if found feasible, discussed during the IBD National Study Group Meeting at the ECCO Congress.

Myrthe Jongsma © Myrthe Jongsma

Top-down infliximab is superior to step-up in children with moderate-to-severe Crohn’s Disease

In newly diagnosed paediatric patients with Crohn’s Disease (CD), rapid disease control is desirable, but this outcome is not always achieved with current treatment strategies [1]. Infliximab has been proven to be highly effective in paediatric CD patients [2], but its primary use is reserved for patients with perianal disease or a predicted severe disease course [3]. We investigated whether starting top-down infliximab immediately after diagnosis is more effective than conventional step-up treatment in achieving and sustaining remission in children with moderate to severe CD.

Toer Stevens © Toer Stevens

Reduced need for surgery and medical therapy after early ileocaecal resection for Crohn’s Disease:  Long-term follow-up of the LIR!C trial

The LIR!C trial was a randomised controlled trial conducted between 2008 and 2015. It included 143 patients with non-stricturing ileocaecal Crohn’s Disease (<40 cm) who failed conventional treatment.

Shaji Sebastian © ECCO

The mission of ClinCom is to promote investigator-initiated studies among ECCO Members. The Committee welcomes submissions from investigators and national study groups and evaluates and critically appraises the quality, feasibility and practicality of each study proposal. The 5^th IBD National Study Group Meeting, held on February 12 during the ECCO 2020 Congress, featured presentations from five investigators on proposals for high-quality collaborative studies which will be suitable for running across national study groups.

Uri Kopylov  © ECCO

This year’s 7^th ClinCom Workshop focussed on two main topics. The first session was devoted to sequencing and combination of different IBD treatments for IBD. The speakers addressed the possible biological implications of drug sequencing and the mechanistic changes in the inflammatory pathways.

Krisztina Gecse © ECCO

Peter Bossuyt © ECCO

The ECCO Congress offers an ideal opportunity to learn, share and interact. This was also the main purpose of the 5^th Basic ECCO: EduCational COurse for Industry, held on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.  The course aimed to provide corporate and non-corporate members who have recently entered the field of IBD with an introduction to IBD, focussing on the clinical essentials and ‘need-to-knows’. 104 participants from 23 countries attended the course.

ClinCom Activities in Vienna 2020

Peter Bossuyt © ECCO

The mission of the Clinical Research Committee of ECCO (ClinCom) is to improve the quality of IBD clinical studies in Europe through education. With this purpose in mind, ClinCom is organising several sessions during the upcoming ECCO Congress 2020 in Vienna, targeting clinicians, nurses and industry.

On the Wednesday of the Congress, we are organising the 5th Basic ECCO: EduCational COurse for Industry. The aim of this course is to provide a state of the art introduction to IBD for both corporate and non-corporate members. In the first session we will highlight the impact of IBD for the patient and the physician. Subsequently, the natural history and overall management of IBD will be discussed, covering the causes of IBD, diagnostic and monitoring procedures, extra-intestinal manifestations and risk assessment.