title: Growth factors and their use in short bowel.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the most recent literature on the clinical trials associated with the relevant growth factors that have been of interest in the treatment of short bowel.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Short bowel is a rare but devastating condition that condemns patients to lifelong parenteral support. Historically, treatment options negating the need for parenteral support were limited. Therapeutic growth factor use is of interest, but the clinical trial data are inconclusive. The STEPS-2 trial was the first trial that showed a sustained positive effect of the growth factor glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2). This led to a phase shift in the management of short bowel, with the US Food and Drug Administration approval of the GLP-2 analogue teduglutide in 2012. This review summarizes all the relevant clinical trials of growth factors in the treatment of short bowel.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GLP-2 has shown that growth factors can revolutionize the treatment of short bowel. Data however are lacking with regards to the solitary use of other factors. This review highlights the need for further work using the factors in combination as well as considering their use in novel methods for example in the field of regenerative medicine.
authors.affiliation: aSt. Mark's Hospital, Harrow bDepartment of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London cNorthwick Park Institute for Medical Research, Harrow, Middlesex, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Siddhartha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oke
authors.forename: Merlin N M
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Tahera
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ansari
authors.forename: Simon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gabe
mesh_terms: D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004763:Glucagon-Like Peptides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010455:Peptides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012778:Short Bowel Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D004763:Glucagon-Like Peptides; C494910:teduglutide