Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Nov 27:11:2040622320970354.
doi: 10.1177/2040622320970354. eCollection 2020.

Gastrointestinal side effects of cancer treatments

Mary O'Reilly  1 , Gregory Mellotte  1 , Barbara Ryan  1 , Anthony O'Connor  2
Affiliations
Review

Gastrointestinal side effects of cancer treatments

Mary O'Reilly et al. Ther Adv Chronic Dis. .

Abstract

Cancer survival rates have significantly improved over the last number of years due to advancements in cancer therapies. Unfortunately this has come at a cost. Therapeutic side effects are feared complications of therapy that may result in decreased quality of life and early cessation of the therapy, which can have knock-on effects on outcomes. This article outlines the main gastrointestinal side effects seen with radiation therapy, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and discusses appropriate investigation and management.

Keywords: Cancer; Chemotherapy; Colitis; Enteritis; Gastrointestinal side effects; Hepatitis; Immunotherapy; Proctitis; Radiotherapy; Typhilitis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: Anthony O’Connor: advisory boards for AbbVie, Mylan and Jannsen; speaker fees from Takeda, Tillotts and Bristol Myers Squibb; research and educational grants from Mylan and Pfizer.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Andreyev HJ. Gastrointestinal problems following pelvic radiotherapy: the past, the present and the future. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol) 2007; 19: 790–799. - PubMed
    1. Bacon CG, Giovannucci E, Testa M, et al. The association of treatment-related symptoms with quality-of-life outcomes for localized prostate carcinoma patients. Cancer 2002; 94: 862–871. - PubMed
    1. Borras JM, Lievens Y, Barton M, et al. How many new cancer patients in Europe will require radiotherapy by 2025? An ESTRO-HERO analysis. Radiother Oncol 2016; 119: 5–11. - PubMed
    1. Denham JW, Hauer-Jensen M. The radiotherapeutic injury-a complex ‘wound’. Radiother Oncol 2002; 63: 129–145. - PubMed
    1. Kennedy GD, Heise CP. Radiation colitis and proctitis. Clin Colon Rectal Surg 2007; 20: 64–72. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources