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Efficacy of pharmacological agents for ulcerative proctitis: a systematic literature review.

BACKGROUND
Ulcerative proctitis is a common and often highly symptomatic form of inflammatory bowel disease. We performed a systematic review to assess the efficacy of different therapies in the management of patients with ulcerative proctitis.


METHODS
We identified randomized controlled trials in adults with ulcerative proctitis treated with oral or topical therapies for induction of response or remission, or prevention of relapse.


RESULTS
A total of 32 randomized controlled trials were included (27 induction/2839 participants, 5 maintenance/334 participants). Follow-up varied from 3 to 8 weeks for induction, and 6 to 24 months for maintenance of remission. 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) suppository was the most frequently evaluated treatment (14/32, 43.7%), followed by steroid enema (7/32, 21.9%). Topical 5-ASA demonstrated effectiveness for induction of clinical response or remission and prevention of relapse in several studies. Combined topical steroids and 5-ASA were more effective than topical 5-ASA or topical steroids alone to induce response (100% of patients for combination vs. 70% for beclomethasone alone and 76% for 5-ASA alone). One observational study suggested as azathioprine may be effective in patients with ulcerative proctitis. Only two cohort studies evaluated the efficacy of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in ulcerative proctitis. Small molecules, anti-integrins, and anti-interleukin therapies have not been evaluated in isolated ulcerative proctitis.


CONCLUSION
The role of topical 5-ASA as treatment for ulcerative proctitis has been confirmed in this systematic literature review, for induction and maintenance of remission. Future trials are needed to investigate the efficacy of more recent and upcoming drug classes in patients with ulcerative proctitis.