World J Gastroenterol 2011 October 21; 17(39): 4372-4381
ISSN 1007-9327 (print) ISSN 2219-2840 (online)
© 2011 Baishideng. All rights reserved.

Shmuel Odes, Professor, MD, Series Editor

Current status of thiopurine analogues in the treatment in Crohn's disease

Peter Laszlo Lakatos, Lajos S Kiss, 1st Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, H-1083 Budapest, Hungary 

Author contributions: Lakatos PL and Kiss LS co-authored this paper. 

Correspondance to: Dr. Peter Laszlo Lakatos, MD, PhD, 1st Department of Medicine, Semmelweis University, H-1083 Budapest, Koranyi S 2A, Hungary. kislsakpet@bell.sote.hu Telephone: +36-20-9117727 Fax: +36-1-3130250 Received: March 22, 2011 Revised: June 21, 2011 Accepted: June 28, 2011 Published online: October 21, 2011

Abstract
In the last decades, with the development of biological therapy, the treatment paradigms in patients with Crohn’s disease have continuously evolved. Several studies focusing on the optimal use of both traditional immunosuppressants and biological therapy have been published, investigating conventional, accelerated step-up and top-down approaches. In addition, much emphasis has been placed in recent years on the determination of important predictive factors that could enable early patient stratification, which would lead to a tailored management strategy. In this review, the authors try to highlight new evidence on the optimal timing, benefits, and risks of immunosuppressants alone, or in combination, in patients with Crohn’s disease.

© 2011 Baishideng. All rights reserved.