AppenDectomy Vs ANti TNF-a in Inducing Clinical and EnDoscopic Remission in Left-sided Ulcerative Colitis
- Conditions
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Interventions
- Procedure: Appendectomy
- Registration Number
- NCT05931458
- Lead Sponsor
- Federico II University
- Brief Summary
Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) characterized by a multifactorial etiology, a variable involvement of large bowel, and a relapsing-remitting course.
In order to keep the disease in a "quiescent" status and to prevent relapses, a significative percentage of UC patients will remain on long-term drug therapy. However, long-term immunosuppressant therapy is not free of risks and complications: in fact, these therapies have an impact on both healthcare system resources and patients' quality of life; more, there are even concerns regarding the side effects of long-term immunosuppressant therapy.
Over the past 20 years, a considerable amount of evidence was produced to support the immunomodulatory role of the appendix in the development and course of UC: there is a strong inverse relationship between previous appendectomy and development of the UC. One of the proposed theories to justify this link is that the appendix could act as a reservoir for commensal bacteria that can be secreted into the colon, affecting its microbiome and immunological response; another theory describes the appendix as the "priming site" for the cytokine production and the immunological cascade that may trigger inflammation in colon and rectum.
The idea of this study moves from these assumptions: the investigators aim to evaluate the impact of appendectomy in patients with UC who are candidates to the treatment with biologics (Anti TNF-a), because of conventional therapies failure. To further reduce any ethical problems and significantly lower any surgical morbidity, investigators will restrict the study population to only patients with active left-sided colitis, so that the surgery for appendectomy will take place on a non-inflamed cecum.
By undertaking this study, the investigators hope to a) learn more about the role of appendix and the impact of appendectomy in the clinical history of Ulcerative Colitis; b) demonstrate that laparoscopic appendectomy, a relatively simple surgical procedure that can also be performed in day-surgery with a very low expected complication rate, is a treatment that is superior to biological therapy, avoiding patients starting a chronic, long-lasting therapy, with the consequent risk of immunosuppression, and with possible higher costs for the health system in the long term.
- Detailed Description
Not available
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- NOT_YET_RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 94
- Patients aged 18 or above
- Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of left-sided UC (extended up to the mid transverse colon)
- Patients with active disease refractory to conventional treatment and candidates for anti- TNF-a treatment
- Patients who have given consent to the surgical procedure
- Patients under the age of 18
- Lack of diagnostic certainty of Ulcerative Colitis / Crohn's disease diagnostic doubt
- Patients who previously received appendectomy
- Patients who have had previous laparotomic abdominal surgery, which could make the appendectomy more complex
- Patients with Severe Acute Colitis/Toxic Megacolon
- Patients who have not given their consent to the intervention
- Patients who receive a different surgical procedure from appendectomy because of intraoperative complications
- Pregnant patients
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Group 1 Infliximab Infliximab Group 2 Appendectomy Appendectomy
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Steroid Free Clinical Remission 12 months Steroid Free Clinical Remission at 3 and 12 months (defined as Partial Mayo score \</=2, with no individual sub-score \>1)
Endoscopic remission 12 months Endoscopic remission at 3 and 12 months (defined as MAYO CU score \</ = 1)
Assessment of Quality of Life 12 months Assessment of Quality of Life at 3 and 12 months, through the SF-36 questionnaire (Short-form 36)
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Clinical Response 12 months Clinical Response at 3 and 12 months (defined as a reduction of the MAYO SCORE of at least 3points). MAYO SCORE ranges from 0 (inactive disease) to 3 (severe disease activity).
Failure rate 24 months Evaluation of the failure rate at 3, 12 and 24 months (evaluated as the rate of use of the biological or colectomy in the "treatment" group, as the rate of use of a second biological or colectomy in the "control" group)
Complication assessment 12 months Complication assessment: Treatment-related serious adverse events will be compared between the two groups. The Dindo-Clavien Classification will be used within 30 days of the procedure in patientsundergoing appendectomy. For patients undergoing biologics, the cumulative rate of treatment- related serious adverse events up to 12 months will be considered. Hospitalization rates will also be assessed as a consequence of adverse events to treatment.
Histological remission 12 months Evaluation of histological remission at 3 and 12 months with the Geboes score (ranging from 0, histological remission, to 22, severe inflammatory injury).
In patients undergoing appendectomy, the appendix will also be histologically evaluated with the same Geboes score in addition to the presence of PARP (peri-appendicular patches).Immunohistochemical evaluation 12 months Immunohistochemical evaluation of the IgA / IgG ratio and correlation between the findings onthe appendix and the findings on colonic biopsy at 3 and 12 months.
Colectomy rate 60 months Evaluation of "Colectomy rate" at 12, 24 and 60 months