Ali, Ahmad Hassan

Background: Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is linked to inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Evidence suggests an association between the gut microbiome and PSC. However, the putative relationship between exposure to antibiotics and onset of PSC has never been reported. We observed 3 cases in which patients without antecedent liver or bowel issues developed symptoms leading to diagnosis of IBD and subsequently PSC after being exposed to doxycycline. We aimed to identify, through the PSC Partners national patient registry, additional cases of PSC in which there is a temporal relationship between exposure to doxycycline and onset of PSC or PSC-IBD. Areas of Uncertainty: The etiopathogenesis of PSC remains an enigma. Data Sources: We collected data from patients with PSC and PSC-IBD in which there seemed to be a temporal relationship between exposure to doxycycline and PSC. Time from doxycycline exposure to: (1) onset of PSC or PSC-IBD symptoms and (2) diagnosis of PSC were documented for each patient. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. Results: We identified 6 additional patients with PSC or PSC-IBD in whom there was a temporal relationship between exposure to doxycycline and onset of PSC or PSC-IBD. The median age of these 9 patients was 20 years, 6 were female, and 7 had ulcerative colitis. The median time from doxycycline exposure to onset of first symptoms was 3 months, and median time from doxycycline exposure to diagnosis of PSC was 15 months. Therapeutic Hypothesis: We describe 9 cases of PSC and PSC-IBD in which there seem to be a temporal relationship between exposure to doxycycline and onset of PSC.

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a risk factor for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) and gallbladder carcinoma (GBCa). Surveillance for GBCa is recommended, but the clinical utility of surveillance for other hepatobiliary cancers (HBCa) in PSC, namely CCA and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether surveillance is associated with better survival after diagnosis of HBCa in patients with PSC. Medical records of PSC patients seen at the Mayo Clinic Rochester from 1995 to 2015 were reviewed. Patients were included if they had ≥1 year of follow‐up and developed HBCa. Patients were categorized according to their surveillance status (abdominal imaging, carbohydrate antigen 19‐9, and alpha‐fetoprotein). The primary endpoints were HBCa recurrence, HBCa‐related death, and all‐cause mortality. Overall survival was assessed by the Kaplan‐Meier survival method; HBCa‐related survival was assessed using competing risk regression. Tests of significance were two‐tailed, and a P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. From 1995 to 2015, a total of 79 of 830 PSC patients were diagnosed with HBCa. Cumulative follow‐up was 712 and 283 person‐years pre‐ and post‐HBCa diagnosis, respectively. Seventy‐eight percent of patients (54/79) developed CCA, 21% (17/79) HCC, 6% (5/79) GBCa, 3% (2/79) both CCA and HCC, and 1% (1/79) both HCC and GBCa. Fifty‐one percent (40/79) were under HBCa surveillance, and 49% (39/79) were not. Patients in the surveillance group had significantly higher 5‐year overall survival (68% versus 20%, respectively; P < 0.001) and significantly lower 5‐year probability of experiencing an HBCa‐related adverse event (32% versus 75%, respectively; P < 0.001) compared with the no‐surveillance group. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that HBCa surveillance significantly improves outcomes, including survival, in patients with PSC. (Hepatology 2018;67:2338‐2351).