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REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Gastroenterology
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1429427
This article is part of the Research Topic Recent Advances and New Biomarkers in Ulcerative Colitis - Volume II View all articles

Deep Mucosal Healing in Ulcerative Colitis: How deep is better?

Provisionally accepted
Xin Jin Xin Jin 1Yan You Yan You 2Gechong Ruan Gechong Ruan 1Weixun Zhou Weixun Zhou 2*Ji Li Ji Li 1*Jingnan Li Jingnan Li 1
  • 1 Department of Gastroenterology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Dongcheng, China
  • 2 Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical SciencesDepartment of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical, beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Ulcerative colitis (UC), characterized by its recurrent nature, imposes a significant disease burden and compromises the quality of life. Emerging evidence suggests that achieving clinical remission isn't sufficient for long-term remission. In pursuit of a favorable prognosis, mucosal healing (MH) has been defined as the target of therapies in UC. This paradigm shift has given rise to the formulation of diverse endoscopic and histological scoring systems, providing distinct definitions for MH.Endoscopic remission (ER) has been widely employed in clinical practice, but it is susceptible to subjective factors related to endoscopists. And there's growing evidence that histological remission (HR) might be associated with a lower risk of disease flares, but the incorporation of HR as a routine therapeutic endpoint remains a debate. The integration of advanced technology has further enriched the definition of deep MH. Up to now, a universal standardized definition for deep MH in clinical practice is currently lacking. This review will focus on the definition of deep MH, from different dimensions, and analyze strengths and limitations, respectively. Subsequent multiple large-scale trials are needed to validate the concept of deep MH, offering valuable insights into potential benefits for UC patients.

    Keywords: ulcerative colitis, deep mucosal healing, endoscopic remission, histological remission, clinical practice

    Received: 08 May 2024; Accepted: 22 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Jin, You, Ruan, Zhou, Li and Li. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Weixun Zhou, Department of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical SciencesDepartment of Pathology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical, beijing, China
    Ji Li, Department of Gastroenterology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Dongcheng, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.