Interactions Between Inflammatory Bowel Disease Drugs and Chemotherapy

As new and effective novel therapies in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) become available, patients are living longer with advancing age and are at increased risk for malignancy. The management of IBD and malignancy involves multiple combinations of chemotherapy agents and IBD drugs, with the potential for interactions between these therapies. Interactions may either potentiate the effectiveness of drug class or exacerbate their common side effects. In this review article, we present a guide on studied interactions between IBD therapies and chemotherapy agents, specifically those of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and melanoma. The pharmacology and pharmocokinetics of each IBD drug will be discussed. Then, the IBD drug and chemotherapy interactions are summarized in table format. This guide will provide a quick reference to guide clinicians with this challenging management of two disease processes.