Cimzia Versus Mesalamine for Crohn's Recurrence

Hypothesis: Cimzia provides superior reduction in endoscopic and clinical recurrence rates compared to mesalamine in the treatment of Crohn's disease one-year following ileocolectomy for Crohn's disease. 1. To evaluate the difference in clinical recurrence rates between certolizumab and mesalamine after 4 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 12 months of use following ileocolectomy for Crohn's disease using the Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI). 2. To compare the endoscopic recurrence rates at one year following surgery between patients treated with certolizumab and mesalamine. 3. To compare medication side-effects and tolerance of therapy, including the need to interrupt therapy due to side-effects, the incidence of opportunistic infections, and a general assessment of each patient's health and well-being using the short-form 36 (SF-36).

Crohn's disease is an autoimmune, pan-intestinal disease which can affect any portion of the alimentary tract, but which has a preference for the small intestine, the colon, and the anus. It is now well established that Crohn's disease most commonly presents with an ileocolic distribution, followed by involvement of the small intestine, the colon, and the anus. Treatment for Crohn's disease is principally medical, reserving surgery to address complications from the disease which cannot be adequately resolved with medication alone. The single greatest challenge in treating this incurable disease is dealing with its recurrence rate. The cumulative probability of disease recurrence is quite high, with 75% of Crohn's patients requiring abdominal surgery at some point during their life. Following surgery, recurrence rates are significant, varying depending on the manner in which recurrence is defined. With regard to clinical recurrences, where the recrudescence of the disease is associated with symptoms caused by new intestinal lesions, the recurrence rate is 10-20% per year.In some instances, clinical recurrences can appear within 3 months of surgery. Taking into account the need for additional surgery as defining a "surgical recurrence", reoperation rates for Crohn's disease range from 16% to 65% 10 years after a previous surgery. When recurrence is viewed from the vantage point of evidence of new Crohn's disease activity based on radiographic studies, radiographic recurrences range from 41-60% over the first 10 years following surgery. One of the most common measures of recurrence has become demonstrating evidence of new Crohn's disease activity based on colonoscopy. This endoscopic recurrence has consistently been shown to be as high as 50-75% at 3 months after surgery, and 50-90% at 12 months. It is widely accepted by physicians treating Crohn's patients that the appearance of endoscopic lesions has prognostic significance, as endoscopic evidence of Crohn's disease temporally precedes radiographic, clinical and surgical recurrences. The role that Cimzia should play in preventing recurrence of Crohn's disease following ileocolectomy for Crohn's disease remains to be determined, as does its relative advantages and disadvantages compared to the use of mesalamine.