Has widespread use of biologic and immunosuppressant therapy for ulcerative colitis affected surgical trends? Results of a questionnaire survey of surgical institutions in Japan

Purpose: The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between the introduction of biologic and immunosuppressant therapy and the number of patients undergoing surgery for ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: A questionnaire survey about patients undergoing surgery for UC was sent to 26 teaching hospitals throughout Japan. The questionnaire period spanned from 2008 to 2013, to account for the introduction of tacrolimus (2009) and infliximab (2010). Results: The total number of patients who underwent surgery was 297, 291, 273, 255, 300, and 305 in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 2012, and 2013, respectively. The emergency surgery rate remained stable at 32–34 % each year. The proportion of patients who underwent surgery for cancer increased from 13.8 % in 2008 to 20 % in 2013. In 2013, 41, 38, and 6 % of patients who underwent surgery had received treatment with a biologic, tacrolimus, and cyclosporine, respectively. No institution reported an increase in postoperative complications among patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs. Conclusions: The number of patients undergoing surgery decreased temporarily soon after infliximab and tacrolimus first became widely available, but subsequently increased again. The emergency surgery rate remained unchanged throughout the study period. These data show that immunosuppressive drugs have had little effect on the risk of postoperative complications.