Cure8 research brief
Thalidomide can help treat refractory pediatric IBD but causes peripheral neuropathy. Knowing a cumulative-dose threshold linked to neuropathy could help clinicians balance benefit and neurotoxicity risk.
Pediatric patients with refractory IBD (including VEOIBD), parents and caregivers, pediatric gastroenterologists, and researchers studying IBD therapies and drug safety.
This study looked back at 49 pediatric IBD patients treated with thalidomide between 2018 and 2025. About one quarter (13/49) developed peripheral neuropathy. The group that developed neuropathy had a higher median cumulative thalidomide dose (19.5 g) than those who did not (8.35 g).
Using receiver-operating-characteristic analysis the authors identified a cumulative dose cutoff (15.38 g) that they report as predictive for neuropathy in this cohort.
The study also compared very early‑onset IBD patients (n = 14) with older pediatric patients and found VEOIBD patients had fewer overall adverse events, with no clear difference in neuropathy rates between groups.
Because this is a single-center, retrospective study with a small sample size, the suggested dose threshold should be considered preliminary and needs validation in larger, prospective cohorts before changing practice.
Keep an eye on dose accumulation and neuropathy symptoms if thalidomide is used in children, and discuss monitoring and risk with your care team.
This report is a retrospective, single-center study with 49 patients, so findings (including the proposed cumulative dose cutoff) are preliminary. The study abstract provides summary data but not full prospective validation; larger studies are needed before using the cutoff as a strict safety limit.
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
Conflict statement: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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