The Safety of Immunosuppression in A Prospective Cohort of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients With a History of Cancer (SAPPHIRE): A National Study
Published: 03/05/2026
General Information:
Patients and physicians have had questions about the risks of cancer with the use of immune suppressing medications to treat IBD. The goal of this project is to better understand whether people with IBD and diagnosed cancer develop new or recurring cancers, and whether these are correlated with the IBD treatments they receive.
Eligibility:
- Over the age of 18
- Diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, or IBD unclassified.
- Diagnosed with their FIRST cancer in the last 10 years that is not currently active.
- Live in the United States
Study Details:
Patient Participation Requirements:
You will be asked to sign an informed consent as well as answer some eligibility questions. A member of our team will reach out and ask you to fill out a brief baseline survey about your general health, IBD diagnosis, experience, and medications as well as details on your cancer diagnosis. The research team will also conduct medical record reviews to verify the details of your diagnosis.
Participants will be asked to complete yearly follow-up surveys, where you will be asked to describe your current IBD symptoms, medications, other changes to your health and potential new or recurrent cancer diagnoses.
Surveys can be completed with an online form or over the phone as needed. After you complete your initial survey, you will be sent a $50 gift card for your time and effort.
Possible Risks:
This study does not involve any physical interventions, but the risk of loss of private information always exists. Procedures are in place to minimize this risk. Researchers make every effort to de-identify subject data and secure any private information that is collected.