Cancer therapy-related complications in the bowel and mesentery: an imaging perspective.
Cancer therapy-induced complications in the bowel and mesentery are fairly common. It is important for clinicians to be aware of these complications and the agents most frequently implicated. Cancer therapy is rapidly evolving and often encompasses both classic cytotoxic drugs and newer molecular targeted agents. Drugs from both broad classes can have numerous adverse effects on the bowel and mesentery that can be detected on imaging. These adverse effects include ileus, various forms of enterocolitis, gastrointestinal perforation, pneumatosis intestinalis, secretory diarrhea, and sclerosing mesenteritis. These complications are diverse and range from relatively benign to life threatening. The management is also variable, but many of these conditions are easily controlled and reversed with supportive care and cessation of the particular cancer therapy. The objective of this pictorial essay is to demonstrate some of the more common cancer therapy-induced complications of the bowel and mesentery, with a focus on the radiographic findings.
Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, 101 The City Drive South, Orange, CA, 92868, USA. ejgray@uci.edu.
Eric J
EJ
Gray
Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, 101 The City Drive South, Orange, CA, 92868, USA.
Ayeh
A
Darvishzadeh
Department of Internal Medicine, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, CA, USA.
Ankush
A
Sharma
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Dhakshinamoorthy
D
Ganeshan
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Silvana C
SC
Faria
Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, 101 The City Drive South, Orange, CA, 92868, USA.
Chandana
C
Lall
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007410:Intestinal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008643:Mesentery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000187:drug effects*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
Antineoplastic agents; Drug-induced complications; Gastrointestinal toxicity; Gastrointestinal tract; Molecular targeted therapy