Stephen B. Hanauer, MD, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Current treatment limitations in inflammatory bowel disease and the rationale for earlier initiation and use of newer therapies to manage pediatric and adult patients.

Drs Marla Dubinsky and Stephen B. Hanauer react to newer therapies currently being explored for inflammatory bowel disease and discuss where each may fit into future therapeutic algorithms.

The significance of conducting future head-to-head trials of therapies used to treat inflammatory bowel disease and implications for treating ulcerative colitis (UC) with vedolizumab based on recent data demonstrated when the drug was tested in a first-ever head-to-head biologic clinical study in UC.

The rationale for treating inflammatory bowel disease with ustekimumab based on more recent safety and efficacy data demonstrated by a trial that followed patients for up to 5 years.

Clinical end points that practitioners should consider to help guide therapeutic decisions when caring for patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Considerations for using mucosal healing as an endpoint when assessing disease activity and remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Dr Marla Dubinsky describes the rationale for using a treat-to-target approach when managing patients with inflammatory bowel disease and explains how she establishes goals of therapy for her patients.

Marla Dubinsky, MD, highlights currently available biologic therapies used to treat inflammatory bowel disease and describes where each option best fits into the therapeutic landscape.

Drs Marla Dubinsky and Stephen B. Hanauer discuss their treatment approaches for inflammatory bowel disease, highlighting the rationale for induction therapy versus maintenance therapy and considerations for using combination therapies.

Best practices for distinguishing between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis when assessing patients who present with symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and counseling patients and loved ones on treatment selection and goals. 

An overview of standard treatment approaches approved to treat inflammatory bowel disease and recommendations for appropriately selecting therapy based on the disease’s clinical presentation.

Important factors to consider when classifying patients’ risk status during the diagnosis of an inflammatory bowel disease and the impact of risk assessment as it relates to treatment selection based on the current therapeutic algorithm.

Common organs impacted by inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and recommendations for assessing disease severity when diagnosing patients.

Marla Dubinsky, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, describes the progressive nature and differences in the presentation of inflammatory bowel disease symptoms in pediatric and adult patients.