Thiopurines Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk in Patients with IBD

For much of the past 2 decades, clinicians caring for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have believed that use of 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) therapy reduces colorectal cancer risk. However, recent studies have failed to confirm a chemopreventive effect for 5-ASAs and instead have identified one for thiopurine treatment.

To investigate further, researchers in the Netherlands conducted an industry-supported study of 2578 patients identified from a health insurance claims database who also had a verified IBD diagnosis in a nationwide pathology registry. Of these patients, 38% used 5-ASAs, 12% used thiopurines, 18% used both, and 32% used neither. The outcome of interest was advanced neoplasia, including high-grade dysplasia or cance…