title: Palliation of malignant intestinal obstruction using octreotide.
abstract: Vomiting due to malignant intestinal obstruction is an unpleasant terminal event in many cancer patients, which responds poorly to conventional therapies. Somatostatin and its long-acting analogues reduce intestinal secretion. For this reason, octreotide was used in a phase I/II study of patients with intractable vomiting secondary to intestinal obstruction due to malignant disease. Vomiting was controlled or the volume of nasogastric aspirate was markedly reduced in 18 of 24 (75%) patients receiving a subcutaneous infusion of octreotide (median initial dose 300, range 100-600 micrograms/day) for a median of 9.4 (range 1-38) days. A further 2 patients had partial relief of their symptoms. Octreotide is an effective treatment of nausea and vomiting due to malignant bowel obstruction.
authors.affiliation: Colchester General Hospital, U.K.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Khoo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Motson
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Denman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waxman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D007414:Intestinal Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D007415:Intestinal Obstruction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D015282:Octreotide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D014839:Vomiting / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D015282:Octreotide