Prudence is never excessive: Caution warranted in 5-aminosalicylic acid derivatives withdrawal for ulcerative colitis.

This invited commentary discusses the recent study by Atay et al, which investigated relapse rates following the spontaneous withdrawal of maintenance 5-aminosalicylates in ulcerative colitis. The discussion focuses, in this patient setting, on the possible reasons that might prompt clinicians to pursue such exit strategies, and on the importance of exercising caution in these decisions, given the extremely narrow subsets of patients for whom international guidelines allow any degree of leeway.