Management of acute cancer treatment-induced diarrhea.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the dietary and pharmacologic management of acute CTID.


METHODS
Primary and secondary literature, and clinical experience.


CONCLUSIONS
When dietary strategies do not work, or when patients present with grade 3/4 diarrhea, pharmacologic intervention is required. First-line therapy should be initiated quickly with loperamide or diphenoxylate/atropine in recommended doses. Somatostatin analogues are effective as second-line therapy or as first-line therapy for patients with grade 3/4 diarrhea.


CONCLUSIONS
Oncology nurses should strive to match treatment with the severity of symptoms of CTID. Whatever therapy is chosen, the goal must be to quickly control this debilitating and potentially life-threatening side effect so that primary chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy may be resumed and completed.
Stern
Jean
J
M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA.
Ippoliti
Cindy
C
D000930:Antidiarrheals / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001285:Atropine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000451:nursing; D004157:Diphenoxylate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D008139:Loperamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D015282:Octreotide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D011788:Quality of Life
D000930:Antidiarrheals; D008139:Loperamide; D004157:Diphenoxylate; D001285:Atropine; D015282:Octreotide