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Efficacy of apheresis as maintenance therapy for patients with ulcerative colitis in an open-label prospective multicenter randomised controlled trial

  • Original Article—Alimentary Tract
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Abstract

Background

Apheresis therapy involves the selective removal of leukocytes and is used to induce remission in ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of apheresis therapy for maintaining UC remission.

Methods

We conducted a multicenter, prospective, randomised-control trial of patients with remitting UC induced by granulocyte and monocyte adsorption apheresis or leukocytapheresis. Patients were randomly assigned to the apheresis group (twice per month for 12 months) or the control group (no apheresis treatment) using a 1:1 allocation ratio. The primary endpoint was the rate of cumulative clinical remission (Mayo score ≤ 2) at 12 months. The secondary endpoints were the rates of clinical remission, endoscopic remission, and complete endoscopic remission at 12 months.

Results

Between March 2013 and March 2017, 164 patients were enrolled. The cumulative remission rate at 12 months was 46.6% in the apheresis group and 36.4% in the control group (p = 0.1621). The rate of endoscopic remission at 12 months was significantly higher in the apheresis group than in the control group (42.5% vs. 25.9%) p = 0.0480). The rate of clinical remission (47.5% vs.32.1%, p = 0.0540) and complete endoscopic remission (33.8% vs.19.8%, p = 0.0513) tended to be higher in the apheresis than in the control group; however, the difference was not significant. No severe adverse events were observed in either group.

Conclusions

Apheresis was well tolerated as maintenance therapy for UC although the cumulative clinical remission rate at 12 months was comparable between the apheresis and control groups.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the late Professor Takayuki Matsumoto (Hyogo College of Medicine) for his significant contribution to the study protocol. We would also like to thank Editage (http://www.editage.jp) for English language editing and Dr. Kiyoso Yamataga (Kureha Special Laboratory, Tokyo, Japan) for the statistical analysis. Members in the CAPTAIN Study Group are Makoto Naganuma, Shinya Sugimoto, Kosaku Nanki, Shinta Mizuno, Haruhiko Ogata, Takanori Kanai (Keio University School of Medicine), Yoko Yokoyama, Kenji Watanabe, Kazuko Nagase, Shiro Nakamura (Hyogo College of Medicine), Satoshi Motoya, Hiroki Tanaka, Masanao Nasuno, Maki Miyagawa (Sapporo Kosei General Hospital), Koji Sawada (Dojima General and Gastroenterology Clinic), Fumito Hirai (Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital), Takayuki Yamamoto, Takahiro Shimoyama (Yokkaichi Hazu Medical Center), Kentaro Ikeya, Hiroyuki Hanai (Hamamatsu South Hospital), Ayumi Itoh, Teppei Omori (Tokyo Women’s Medical University), Kaoru Yokoyama (Kitasato University), Keiichi Mitsuyama, Hiroshi Yamazaki (Kurume University School of Medicine), Yasuhisa Sakata (Saga Universtiy), Naoki Yoshimura (Tokyo Yamate Medical Center), Takayuki Shirai (Tokai University Hachioji Hospital), Yasuo Suzuki (Toho University Sakura Medical Center), Minoru Matsuura (Kyoto University), Shinji Tanaka, Kohei Hayashi, Yositaka Ueno (Hiroshima University), Ryosuke Sakemi (Tobata Kyoritsu Hospital), Yo Ishiguro (Hirosaki National Hospital), Atsushi Yoshida, Yutaka Endo (Ofuna Chuo Hospital), Hirokazu Yamagami (Osaka City Universtiy), Toshiharu Sakurai (Kindai University), Masahiro Iwabuchi, Mikako Sugimura (Sendai Medical Center), Masahiro Iizuka (Akita Red Cross Hospital). Ko Nagino (Yamagata City Hospital Saiseikan), Taku Kobayashi, Toshifumi Hibi (Kitasato University Kitasato Institute Hospital), Kunio Ohnishi (Ikoma Clinic), Takuya Yoshino (Kitano Hospital), Toshihide Ohmori (Toshihide Ohmori Gastrointestinal Clinic), Tadashi Teramoto (Machida Gastrointestinal Hospital).

Funding

All investigators received non-financial support (provided with adacolumn® or cellsoba E.® for maintenance therapy) from JIMRO Co., Ltd and/or Asahi Kasei Medical, Co., Ltd. during the conduct of the study. However, the funding source was not involved in any part of the preparation of the research protocol, data analysis, and drafting of this manuscript.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Makoto Naganuma and Yoko Yokoyama: co-first authors.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan

    Makoto Naganuma & Takanori Kanai

  2. Department of Intestinal Inflammation Research, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo, Japan

    Yoko Yokoyama & Kenji Watanabe

  3. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Sapporo Kosei General Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan

    Satoshi Motoya

  4. Dojima General and Gastroenterology Clinic, Osaka, Japan

    Koji Sawada

  5. Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center, Fukuoka University Chikushi Hospital, Chikushino, Japan

    Fumito Hirai

  6. IBD Center, Yokkaichi Hazu Medical Center, Yokkaichi, Japan

    Takayuki Yamamoto

  7. IBD Center, Hamamatsu South Hospital, Hamamatsu, Japan

    Hiroyuki Hanai

  8. Institute of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Tokyo, Japan

    Teppei Omori

  9. Center for Advanced IBD Research and Treatment, Kitasato University Kitasato Institute Hospital, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshifumi Hibi

Authors
  1. Makoto Naganuma
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  2. Yoko Yokoyama
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Consortia

for the CAPTAIN study Group

  • Makoto Naganuma
  • , Shinya Sugimoto
  • , Kosaku Nanki
  • , Shinta Mizuno
  • , Haruhiko Ogata
  • , Takanori Kanai
  • , Yoko Yokoyama
  • , Kenji Watanabe
  • , Kazuko Nagase
  • , Shiro Nakamura
  • , Satoshi Motoya
  • , Hiroki Tanaka
  • , Masanao Nasuno
  • , Maki Miyagawa
  • , Koji Sawada
  • , Fumito Hirai
  • , Takayuki Yamamoto
  • , Takahiro Shimoyama
  • , Kentaro Ikeya
  • , Hiroyuki Hanai
  • , Ayumi Itoh
  • , Teppei Omori
  • , Kaoru Yokoyama
  • , Keiichi Mitsuyama
  • , Hiroshi Yamazaki
  • , Yasuhisa Sakata
  • , Naoki Yoshimura
  • , Takayuki Shirai
  • , Yasuo Suzuki
  • , Minoru Matsuura
  • , Shinji Tanaka
  • , Kohei Hayashi
  • , Yositaka Ueno
  • , Ryosuke Sakemi
  • , Yo Ishiguro
  • , Atsushi Yoshida
  • , Yutaka Endo
  • , Hirokazu Yamagami
  • , Toshiharu Sakurai
  • , Masahiro Iwabuchi
  • , Mikako Sugimura
  • , Masahiro Iizuka
  • , Ko Nagino
  • , Taku Kobayashi
  • , Toshifumi Hibi
  • , Kunio Ohnishi
  • , Takuya Yoshino
  • , Toshihide Ohmori
  •  & Tadashi Teramoto

Contributions

TH conceived the study. MN, YY, KW, and TH designed the main concept of this study. MN, YY, KW drafted the main protocol. All authors participated in patient enrolment and clinical data acquisition. MN drafted and wrote the manuscript as the first version. TK and TH supervised the study. All authors contributed to critical review and approved the final draft.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Makoto Naganuma.

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Conflict of interest

Makoto Naganuma received commercial research funds from EA Pharma Co., Ltd. and Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., outside the submitted work. Satoshi Motoya received consultant fees from Abbvie GK, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K, Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd, and Pfizer Japan Inc. and received lecture fees from Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Abbvie GK, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K, Mistubishi Tanabe Pharma, and Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., outside the submitted work. Fumihito Hirai received lecture fees from Abbvie GK, EA Pharma Co., Ltd, Mistubishi Tanabe Pharma, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., and Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., outside the submitted work. Takanori Kanai received lecture fees from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp, Astellas Pharma Inc, Miyarisan Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. AstraZeneca Plc, EA Pharma Co., Ltd., Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and commercial research funds from AbbVie GK,Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.,Kyorin Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd., Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp, Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Nihon Kayaku, Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.,Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd., Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., EA Pharma Co., Ltd., Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd., JIMRO Co., Ltd. and EN Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd, outside the submitted work. Toshifumi Hibi received lecture fees from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corp, Abbvie GK, EA Pharma Co., Ltd., Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., JIMRO Co. Ltd., Mochida Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Gilead Sciences Celltrion, Nihon Kayaku, Zeria Pharmaceutical Co., Ferring Pharmaceutical, Lilly Co., Ltd., Pfizer Japan Inc. outside the submitted work. All other authors have no competing interests to declare.

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Naganuma, M., Yokoyama, Y., Motoya, S. et al. Efficacy of apheresis as maintenance therapy for patients with ulcerative colitis in an open-label prospective multicenter randomised controlled trial. J Gastroenterol 55, 390–400 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-019-01651-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-019-01651-0

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