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Jake Jordan,1 Heather Gage,1 Barbara Benton,2 Amyn Lalji,2 Christine Norton,3 H Jervoise N Andreyev2 1Surrey Health Economics Centre, School of Economics, University of Surrey, Guildford, 2Gastrointestinal Unit, Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, 3Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, King’s College, London, UK Background: Over 20 distressing gastrointestinal symptoms affect many patients after pelvic radiotherapy, but in the United Kingdom few are referred for assessment. Algorithmic-based treatment delivered by either a consultant gastroenterologist or a clinical nurse specialist has been shown in a randomized trial to be statistically and clinically more effective than provision of a self-help booklet. In this study, we assessed cost-effectiveness.Methods: Outcomes were measured at baseline (pre-randomization) and 6 months. Change in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) was the primary outcome for the economic evaluation; a secondary analysis used change in the bowel subset score of the modified Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (IBDQ-B). Intervention costs, British pounds 2013, covered visits with the gastroenterologist or nurse, investigations, medications and treatments. Incremental outcomes and incremental costs were estimated simultaneously using multivariate linear regression. Uncertainty was handled non-parametrically using bootstrap with replacement.Results: The mean (SD) cost of treatment was £895 (499) for the nurse and £1101 (567) for the consultant. The nurse was dominated by usual care, which was cheaper and achieved better outcomes. The mean cost per QALY gained from the consultant, compared to usual care, was £250,455; comparing the consultant to the nurse, it was £25,875. Algorithmic care produced better outcomes compared to the booklet only, as reflected in the IBDQ-B results, at a cost of ~£1,000.Conclusion: Algorithmic treatment of radiation bowel injury by a consultant or a nurse results in significant symptom relief for patients but was not found to be cost-effective according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) criteria. Keywords: pelvic radiotherapy, algorithmic care, gastroenterologist, clinical nurse specialist

Background and study aims The aim of this study was to assess the effect of an educational video on the quality of bowel preparation of patients from a UK population attending for their first colonoscopy. Patients and methods A prospective, endoscopist-blinded trial with 1:1 allocation was performed. Patients referred for their first colonoscopy were recruited between February 2019 and December 2019. All participants were prescribed Moviprep and received the trial site's standard written bowel preparation instructions, with the intervention group also receiving a bespoke educational video. Adequacy of bowel preparation (defined as a Boston Bowel Preparation Scale of ≥2 in each segment of the bowel) and polyp detection rates (PDRs) were compared. Fisher's chi squared test was utilized with P <0.05 as the threshold for significance. Results A total of 509 participants completed the trial from six centers; 251 were randomized to the intervention group. The mean age was 57 years and 52.3% were female. The primary endpoint was met with an adequacy rate of 216 of 251 (86.1%) in the intervention group, compared with 205 of 259 (79.1%) in the control group ( P <0.05, odds ratio [OR] 1.626, 95% CI 1.017-2.614). The PDR was significantly higher in the intervention group (39% vs 30%, OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.04-2.19, P <0.05). Conclusions An educational video leads to improved bowel preparation for patients attending for their first colonoscopy, and is also associated with greater detection of polyps. Widespread adoption of an educational video incurs minimal investment, but would reduce the number of inadequate procedures, missed pathology, and the cost that both these incur., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Adolfo Parra-Blanco: Norgine Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Donation of equipment for research. The remaining authors have no conflict of interest to declare., (The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).)

Purpose: There are increasing numbers of patients who have been treated for colorectal cancer (CRC) who struggle with ongoing physical and psychological symptoms. 'Cancer survivor' is often used to describe these patients but this terminology remains controversial. This study sought to understand the follow-up experience of CRC patients in the UK and identify the terminology they prefer following diagnosis and treatment., Methods: Purposeful sampling of patients from specialist CRC follow-up clinics was performed until data saturation was achieved. Two 1:1 semi-structured qualitative interviews were performed for each participant. Data were analysed thematically., Results: Seventeen participants, median age = 62, 53% male were interviewed. Several themes were identified. Of note, fear of cancer recurrence dominates patients' agendas at follow-up appointments. There are also clinical and administrative barriers to discussing symptoms including being embarrassed, feeling that their symptoms were not relevant or not having enough time to discuss issues. However, there are several methods which may improve this, such as through the use of video consultations and questionnaires. In addition, patients identified inadequate holistic support despite significant psychological and social distress. Our data suggest that labelling a diverse group of patients as 'cancer survivors' can be problematic., Conclusion: It is important that clinicians systematically screen patients for symptoms that are known to occur following treatment. Clinicians and patients should have routine access to pathways and programmes that can support patients in navigating their life after cancer therapy., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Pancreatic exocrine insufficiency is a cause of malabsorption. It is generally diagnosed if faecal elastase-1 (FE-1) levels are below 200 µg/g. Pancreatic function is assumed to be normal when faecal elastase levels are >500 µg/g. The significance of faecal elastase levels above 200 µg/g but less than 500 µg/g is unclear., Methods: This retrospective study reports the response to treatment in patients who had an FE-1 level between 200 and 500 µg/g., Results: Of these 82 patients, 28 were offered pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT). A clinical response, defined as an improvement in their initial symptoms after commencing PERT, was seen in 20 patients (71%), 7 with potentially predisposing conditions and 13 with functional diarrhoea. PERT particularly abolished or improved diarrhoea, steatorrhoea and flatulence., Conclusion: Clinicians should, therefore, be aware that a trial of PERT given to patients with FE-1 levels between 200 and 500 µg/g may lead to improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Preclinical data suggest that combined gamma-tocotrienol with pentoxifylline ameliorates radiotherapy-induced gastrointestinal damage., Aim: To test whether gastrointestinal symptoms arising after radiotherapy, and persisting after maximal medical therapy, can be improved using Tocovid SupraBio 200 mg and pentoxifylline 400 mg orally twice daily for one year. Patients stratified by severity of symptoms, and randomised to active treatment or matched placebo were assessed after 12 months. The primary end point was improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms measured using the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire, bowel subset score. Changes in bio-markers of fibrosis were assessed., Results: 62 patients, median age 66, 34(55%) treated for prostate, 21(34%) gynaecological, 6(10%) anal and one(1%) rectal cancer were recruited; 40(65%) randomised to treatment, 22(35%) to placebo, 39 months (median) after radiotherapy completion. Gamma tocotrienol was not detected in serum in 41% of treated patients, despite good compliance with study medication. Treatment was completed in 28(70%) and 17(77%) patients in the treatment and placebo groups respectively. No improvement in symptom scores nor in quality of life was identified. Thirteen serious adverse events occurred. A transient ischaemic attack, was possibly related to pentoxifylline, others were assessed as unlikely to be related to treatment. Levels of EGF, PDGF and FGF were significantly reduced and consistent trends in reduced inflammation were seen during treatment but were not sustained once treatment ended., Summary: This single centre study closed prematurely and therefore data interpretation is of necessity limited. No clinical benefit was demonstrated. However, biochemical data suggest that this intervention does have anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest No author has any conflict of Interest to declare., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Treatable gastrointestinal disorders in patients with symptoms typical for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may be overlooked. The prevalence of five gastrointestinal conditions-bile acid diarrhoea (BAD), carbohydrate malabsorption (CM), microscopic colitis (MC), pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) was systematically assessed from studies including consecutive patients meeting diagnostic criteria for IBS. 4 databases were searched from 1978 to 2020. Studies were included if they evaluated the prevalence of these conditions in secondary healthcare setting. Estimated pooled rates were calculated and statistical heterogeneity between studies was evaluated using Q and I 2 statistics. Seven studies (n = 597) estimated the pooled prevalence for BAD as 41% (95% CI 29-54). 17 studies (n = 5068) estimated that of MC as 3% (95% CI 2-4%). Two studies (n = 478) suggested a rate of 4.6% (range: 1.8-6.1%) for PEI. Using breath testing, 26 studies (n = 6700) and 13 studies (n = 3415) estimated the prevalence of lactose and fructose malabsorption as 54% (95% CI 44-64%) and 43% (95% CI 23-62%); 36 studies (n = 4630) and 22 studies (n = 2149) estimated that of SIBO as 49% (95% CI 40-57%) with lactulose and 19% (95% CI 13-27%) with glucose. Rates of all conditions were significantly higher than in healthy controls. A significant proportion of patients presenting to secondary care with IBS have an organic condition which may account for their symptoms. Failure to exclude such conditions will deny patients effective treatment., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

For all cancers there are four areas of importance: prevention, early diagnosis, optimising therapy and living with and beyond. For women diagnosed with gynaecological cancers, progress in these first three areas has been immense. However, living with and beyond has largely been ignored as a significant issue. As a group, patients treated for gynaecological cancer are more often young and more often suffer the most difficult long-term issues. Despite the growing number of long-term survivors, little has been done to ensure appropriate assessment and treatment of side-effects of cancer therapies, especially when radiotherapy has been used. For many affected patients their symptoms become part of everyday life, 'normality' is adjusted and these changes are tolerated even when severely limiting activities. Data show that even expert clinicians frequently do not appreciate the true impact of these problems and the focus of treatment and of follow-up remains fixed on 5-year survival and cancer recurrence, respectively. Many clinicians are unaware of what experts can do for toxicity and do not know where to refer their patients. However, rapid identification of patients with significant symptoms can lead to earlier diagnosis of treatable pathologies and improvement in patients' quality of life. In addition, the underlying pathophysiology of radiation-induced damage is potentially amenable to disease-modifying therapies. This review focuses on the factors that contribute to patients developing pelvic radiation disease, what can be done to mitigate the toxicity of treatment and highlights the challenges that must be addressed to reduce the gastrointestinal toxicity of pelvic radiotherapy., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: The underlying mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are poorly researched. This study characterised the nature, frequency, severity and treatable causes for GI symptoms prospectively in patients undergoing chemotherapy for GI malignancy., Methods: Patients receiving chemotherapy for a GI malignancy were assessed pre-chemotherapy, then monthly for 1 year using the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, a validated patient-reported outcome measure. Patients with new, troublesome GI symptoms were offered investigations to diagnose the cause(s). Their oncologist was alerted when investigations were abnormal., Results: A total of 241 patients, 60% male, median age 63 years (range 30-88), were enrolled; 122 patients were withdrawn, 93%, because of progressive disease or death. During the study, > 20% patients reported chronic faecal incontinence and > 10% reported moderate or severe problems with taste, dysphagia, belching, heartburn, early satiety, appetite, nausea, abdominal cramps, peri-rectal pain, rectal flatulence, borborygmi, urgency of defecation or tenesmus. Thirty percent reported continuing passage of hard stools and 30% on-going diarrhoea. Moderate or severe fatigue affected 40% participants at its peak and persisted in 15% at 1 year. Toxicity dictated change in chemotherapy for 13-29% patients/month. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events underestimated gastrointestinal morbidity. Pre-chemotherapy screening identified previously undiagnosed pathology: exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (9%), vitamin B 12 deficiency (12%) and thyroid dysfunction (20%). Patients often refused investigations to diagnose their chemotherapy-induced symptoms; however, for every three investigations performed, one treatable cause was diagnosed: particularly small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (54%), bile acid malabsorption (43%), previously not described after chemotherapy, and unsuspected urinary tract infection (17%)., Conclusions: Patients undergoing chemotherapy for GI malignancy commonly have difficult GI symptoms requiring active management which does not occur routinely. The underlying causes for these symptoms are often treatable or curable. Randomised trials are urgently needed to show whether timely investigation and treatment of symptoms improve quality of life and survival., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02121626.

Purpose: Radiotherapy is important in managing pelvic cancers. However, radiation enteropathy may occur and can be dose limiting. The gut microbiota may contribute to the pathogenesis of radiation enteropathy. We hypothesized that the microbiome differs between patients with and without radiation enteropathy. Experimental Design: Three cohorts of patients ( n = 134) were recruited. The early cohort ( n = 32) was followed sequentially up to 12 months post-radiotherapy to assess early radiation enteropathy. Linear mixed models were used to assess microbiota dynamics. The late cohort ( n = 87) was assessed cross-sectionally to assess late radiation enteropathy. The colonoscopy cohort compared the intestinal mucosa microenvironment in patients with radiation enteropathy (cases, n = 9) with healthy controls (controls, n = 6). Fecal samples were obtained from all cohorts. In the colonoscopy cohort, intestinal mucosa samples were taken. Metataxonomics (16S rRNA gene) and imputed metataxonomics (Piphillin) were used to characterize the microbiome. Clinician- and patient-reported outcomes were used for clinical characterization., Results: In the acute cohort, we observed a trend for higher preradiotherapy diversity in patients with no self-reported symptoms ( P = 0.09). Dynamically, diversity decreased less over time in patients with rising radiation enteropathy ( P = 0.05). A consistent association between low bacterial diversity and late radiation enteropathy was also observed, albeit nonsignificantly. Higher counts of Clostridium IV, Roseburia , and Phascolarctobacterium significantly associated with radiation enteropathy. Homeostatic intestinal mucosa cytokines related to microbiota regulation and intestinal wall maintenance were significantly reduced in radiation enteropathy [IL7 ( P = 0.05), IL12/IL23p40 ( P = 0.03), IL15 ( P = 0.05), and IL16 ( P = 0.009)]. IL15 inversely correlated with counts of Roseburia and Propionibacterium ., Conclusions: The microbiota presents opportunities to predict, prevent, or treat radiation enteropathy. We report the largest clinical study to date into associations of the microbiota with acute and late radiation enteropathy. An altered microbiota associates with early and late radiation enteropathy, with clinical implications for risk assessment, prevention, and treatment of radiation-induced side-effects. See related commentary by Lam et al., p. 6280 ., (©2019 American Association for Cancer Research.)

Objective: Bile acid diarrhoea (BAD), which includes bile acid malabsorption, causes a variety of digestive symptoms. Diagnostic rates and management vary considerably. We conducted a survey of current practice to review expert opinion and provide guidance on diagnosis and management., Design/method: An online survey was conducted of clinical members of the UK Bile Acid Related Diarrhoea Network, who had all published research on BAD (n=21). Most were National Health Service consultants who had diagnosed over 50 patients with the condition., Results: The preferred terminology was to use BAD, with primary and secondary to classify causes. A wide range of presenting symptoms and associated conditions were recognised. SeHCAT (tauroselcholic acid) was the preferred diagnostic test, and 50% of respondents thought general practitioners should have access to this. Patients who met the Rome IV diagnostic criteria for functional diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with predominant diarrhoea or postcholecystectomy diarrhoea were usually investigated by SeHCAT, which was used sometimes in other types of IBS. Treatment with a bile acid sequestrant was offered to patients with low SeHCAT values, with expected response rates >70% in the most severe. Colestyramine was the usual sequestrant, starting between 2 g and 8 g daily; colesevelam was an alternative. In patients who had an incomplete response, increasing the dose, changing to an alternative sequestrant, use of loperamide and a low fat diet were suggested. Recommendations for follow-up and to improve the overall patient experience were made., Conclusion: This expert survey indicates current best practice in the diagnosis and management of BAD., Competing Interests: Competing interests: JRFW reports grants and personal fees from GE healthcare, grants from Novartis, personal fees from Pendopharm, personal fees from Prometheus, grants from Intercept, grants from ENYO, outside the submitted work. RA has received renumerations from GE healthcare for delivery of educational talks. HJNA has received remunerations as a member of advisory boards for GE Healthcare and Sanofi Aventis and has been provided by GE Healthcare with free SeHCAT capsules for completed and planned studies., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Introduction: 75 Selenium taurocholic acid (SeHCAT) scanning diagnoses bile acid malabsorption/bile acid diarrhoea (BAM/BAD) and defines optimal treatment. Approximately 2% of the population have BAM/BAD., Aim: To evaluate the cost of delayed diagnosis of BAM/BAD., Methods: Patients' notes who underwent SeHCAT scanning in three hospitals over a 1-year period were reviewed retrospectively. Scan results and treatment response were recorded. Package-of-care costs were calculated using costing tools from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and from United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust business unit., Results: Between June 2016 and May 2017, 19 men and 37 women (median age 58 (range 19-83)) of 3860 new patients seen in gastroenterology clinics were referred for SeHCAT scanning. Sixty-four per cent of scans were abnormal: 13 demonstrated severe (<5% 7-day SeHCAT retention), 13 moderate (5%-10%), 5 mild (10%-15%) and 5 borderline (15%-20%) BAD/BAM. Likely causes included primary BAD (n=16), cholecystectomy (n=13), inflammatory bowel disease (n=4) and other (n=3). If SeHCAT scanning was ordered at first consultation (n=11), patients reported 24 months (median) of symptoms (range 6-360) and the median diagnostic package-of-care cost was £811.40 (95% CI £625.59 to £1508.20). If SeHCAT scanning was booked later (n=25), patients reported symptoms for 30 months (median, range 0.5-360) and the cost was £1568.31 (95% CI £1200.55 to £1713.18). Following diagnosis, treatment led to symptom improvement (n=24), no change/deterioration (n=3) and not reported (n=9)., Conclusions: SeHCAT is underused. Late diagnosis leads to unnecessary demands for other services and treatment delay. Early diagnosis achieves health benefits while reducing costs., Competing Interests: Competing interests: HJNA has received honoraria as a speaker and consultant for GE (manufacturer of SeHCAT) and Sanofi Aventis/Genzyme (manufacturers of colesevelam)

Background: Patients with oesophago-gastric (OG) cancer may be at risk of malnutrition, troublesome gastrointestinal symptoms (GI) and reduced dietary intake in view of the tumour location and multimodality curative treatment approach. Longitudinal research is lacking. The present study aimed to assess (i) nutritional status and how it evolved over the first year; (ii) the association between nutritional status scores and GI symptom scores; and (iii) the nutrient and food group intake pattern., Methods: This was a prospective, observational study of patients with an OG lesion planned for radical treatment, with assessment at diagnosis, 3 months and 12 months after the start of treatment. Nutritional assessment was performed using the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, GI symptoms measured using the modified Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale and dietary intake assessed using a semi-quantitative food frequency approach., Results: Eighty patients (61 males, 19 females; aged 46-89 years) were recruited. At baseline, 3 (n = 68) and 12 months (n = 57), 61%, 62% and 60%, respectively, were moderately/severely malnourished. Higher symptom burden was associated with poorer nutritional status at baseline (r = 0.55, P < 0.001), 3 months (r = 0.51, P < 0.001) and 12 months (r = 0.42, P = 0.001). At each respective time point, 37%, 38% and 42% were meeting their estimated average requirement for energy. No change in mean (SD) intake of energy, fibre, nutrient and food groups was observed over time., Conclusions: Patients with OG cancer have progressive weight loss, with malnutrition present over the majority of the 12-month study period. Optimising nutritional status and symptom management throughout the treatment pathway should be a clinical priority., (© 2018 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.)

Background: An increasing number of people survive cancer but a significant proportion have gastrointestinal side effects as a result of radiotherapy (RT), which impairs their quality of life (QoL)., Objectives: To determine which prophylactic interventions reduce the incidence, severity or both of adverse gastrointestinal effects among adults receiving radiotherapy to treat primary pelvic cancers., Search Methods: We conducted searches of CENTRAL, MEDLINE, and Embase in September 2016 and updated them on 2 November 2017. We also searched clinical trial registries., Selection Criteria: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions to prevent adverse gastrointestinal effects of pelvic radiotherapy among adults receiving radiotherapy to treat primary pelvic cancers, including radiotherapy techniques, other aspects of radiotherapy delivery, pharmacological interventions and non-pharmacological interventions. Studies needed a sample size of 20 or more participants and needed to evaluate gastrointestinal toxicity outcomes. We excluded studies that evaluated dosimetric parameters only. We also excluded trials of interventions to treat acute gastrointestinal symptoms, trials of altered fractionation and dose escalation schedules, and trials of pre- versus postoperative radiotherapy regimens, to restrict the vast scope of the review., Data Collection and Analysis: We used standard Cochrane methodology. We used the random-effects statistical model for all meta-analyses, and the GRADE system to rate the certainty of the evidence., Main Results: We included 92 RCTs involving more than 10,000 men and women undergoing pelvic radiotherapy. Trials involved 44 different interventions, including radiotherapy techniques (11 trials, 4 interventions/comparisons), other aspects of radiotherapy delivery (14 trials, 10 interventions), pharmacological interventions (38 trials, 16 interventions), and non-pharmacological interventions (29 trials, 13 interventions). Most studies (79/92) had design limitations. Thirteen studies had a low risk of bias, 50 studies had an unclear risk of bias and 29 studies had a high risk of bias. Main findings include the following:Radiotherapy techniques: Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) versus 3D conformal RT (3DCRT) may reduce acute (risk ratio (RR) 0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.26 to 0.88; participants = 444; studies = 4; I 2 = 77%; low-certainty evidence) and late gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity grade 2+ (RR 0.37, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.65; participants = 332; studies = 2; I 2 = 0%; low-certainty evidence). Conformal RT (3DCRT or IMRT) versus conventional RT reduces acute GI toxicity grade 2+ (RR 0.57, 95% CI 0.40 to 0.82; participants = 307; studies = 2; I 2 = 0%; high-certainty evidence) and probably leads to less late GI toxicity grade 2+ (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.09; participants = 517; studies = 3; I 2 = 44%; moderate-certainty evidence). When brachytherapy (BT) is used instead of external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) in early endometrial cancer, evidence indicates that it reduces acute GI toxicity (grade 2+) (RR 0.02, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.18; participants = 423; studies = 1; high-certainty evidence).Other aspects of radiotherapy delivery: There is probably little or no difference in acute GI toxicity grade 2+ with reduced radiation dose volume (RR 1.21, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.81; participants = 211; studies = 1; moderate-certainty evidence) and maybe no difference in late GI toxicity grade 2+ (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.15 to 6.97; participants = 107; studies = 1; low-certainty evidence). Evening delivery of RT may reduce acute GI toxicity (diarrhoea) grade 2+ during RT compared with morning delivery of RT (RR 0.51, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.76; participants = 294; studies = 2; I 2 = 0%; low-certainty evidence). There may be no difference in acute (RR 2.22, 95% CI 0.62 to 7.93, participants = 110; studies = 1) and late GI toxicity grade 2+ (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.12 to 1.65; participants = 81; studies = 1) between a bladder volume preparation of 1080 mls and that of 540 mls (low-certainty evidence). Low-certainty evidence on balloon and hydrogel spacers suggests that these interventions for prostate cancer RT may make little or no difference to GI outcomes.Pharmacological interventions: Evidence for any beneficial effects of aminosalicylates, sucralfate, amifostine, corticosteroid enemas, bile acid sequestrants, famotidine and selenium is of a low or very low certainty. However, evidence on certain aminosalicylates (mesalazine, olsalazine), misoprostol suppositories, oral magnesium oxide and octreotide injections suggests that these agents may worsen GI symptoms, such as diarrhoea or rectal bleeding.Non-pharmacological interventions: Low-certainty evidence suggests that protein supplements (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.74; participants = 74; studies = 1), dietary counselling (RR 0.04, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.60; participants = 74; studies = 1) and probiotics (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.22 to 0.82; participants = 923; studies = 5; I 2 = 91%) may reduce acute RT-related diarrhoea (grade 2+). Dietary counselling may also reduce diarrhoeal symptoms in the long term (at five years, RR 0.05, 95% CI 0.00 to 0.78; participants = 61; studies = 1). Low-certainty evidence from one study (108 participants) suggests that a high-fibre diet may have a beneficial effect on GI symptoms (mean difference (MD) 6.10, 95% CI 1.71 to 10.49) and quality of life (MD 20.50, 95% CI 9.97 to 31.03) at one year. High-certainty evidence indicates that glutamine supplements do not prevent RT-induced diarrhoea. Evidence on various other non-pharmacological interventions, such as green tea tablets, is lacking.Quality of life was rarely and inconsistently reported across included studies, and the available data were seldom adequate for meta-analysis., Authors' Conclusions: Conformal radiotherapy techniques are an improvement on older radiotherapy techniques. IMRT may be better than 3DCRT in terms of GI toxicity, but the evidence to support this is uncertain. There is no high-quality evidence to support the use of any other prophylactic intervention evaluated. However, evidence on some potential interventions shows that they probably have no role to play in reducing RT-related GI toxicity. More RCTs are needed for interventions with limited evidence suggesting potential benefits.

In patients with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, identical symptoms may occur for many different reasons. This prospective study assessed whether experienced clinicians can predict accurately the underlying diagnosis or diagnoses contributing to specific symptoms based on the history and physical examination. Three clinicians assessed 47 patients referred for management of troublesome GI symptoms identified after treatment for cancer. Investigations were requested following our comprehensive, peer-reviewed algorithm. The clinicians then recorded their predictions as to the results of those investigations. After each patient had completed all their investigations, had received optimal management and had been discharged from the clinic, the predicted diagnoses were compared to those made. The clinicians predicted 92 diagnoses (1.9 per patient). After investigation, a total of 168 unique diagnoses were identified (3.5 per patient). Of the 92 predicted diagnoses, 41 (43%) matched the diagnosis. Of the 168 actual diagnoses identified, only 24% matched the prediction. None of the clinicians predicted the correct combination of diagnoses contributing to bowel symptoms. Clinical acumen alone is inadequate at determining cause for symptoms in patients with GI symptoms developing after cancer therapy., (© 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Guidance : the practical management of the gastrointestinal symptoms of pelvic radiation disease was published in 2014 for a multidisciplinary audience. Following this, a companion guide to managing upper gastrointestinal (GI) consequences was developed., Aims: The development and peer review of an algorithm which could be accessible to all types of clinicians working with patients experiencing upper GI symptoms following cancer treatment., Methods: Experts who manage patients with upper GI symptoms were asked to review the guide, rating each section for agreement with the recommended measures and suggesting amendments if necessary. Specific comments were discussed and incorporated as appropriate, and this process was repeated for a second round of review., Results: 21 gastroenterologists, 11 upper GI surgeons, 9 specialist dietitians, 8 clinical nurse specialists, 5 clinical oncologists, 3 medical oncologists and 4 others participated in the review. Consensus (defined prospectively as 60% or more panellists selecting 'strongly agree' or 'agree') was reached for all of the original 31 sections in the guide, with a median of 90%. 85% of panellists agreed that the guide was acceptable for publication or acceptable with minor revisions. 56 of the original 61 panellists participated in round 2. 93% agreed it was acceptable for publication after the first revision. Further minor amendments were made in response to round 2., Conclusions: Feedback from the panel of experts developed the guide with improvement of occasional algorithmic steps, a more user-friendly layout, clearer time frames for referral to other teams and addition of procedures to the appendix., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Dietary fat ingestion triggers bile secretion into the gastrointestinal tract. Bile acid malabsorption affects >1% of the population, causing loose stool and other gastrointestinal symptoms. The diagnosis is frequently missed. Treatments are often considered ineffective. We evaluated low-fat diets for managing gastrointestinal symptoms in these patients. All patients reporting type 6 or 7 stool were offered a selenium-75 homocholic acid taurine (SeHCAT) scan. Prospective data in patients with 7-day scan retention <20% were analysed. -Patients requiring a bile acid sequestrant were given this before receiving dietary advice. Patients completed a 7-day food diary before dietetic consultations. Personalised dietary interventions, providing 20% of daily energy from fat, were prescribed. Symptoms were assessed using a modified gastrointestinal symptom rating scale questionnaire before and 4-12 weeks after dietary intervention. A total of 114 patients (49 male, median age 64 years, median body mass index 27 kg/m 2 ) were evaluated. 44% of these patients were taking colesevelam. After dietary intervention, there was statistically significant improvement in abdominal pain and nocturnal defecation (0.2% alpha, p=0.001). Improvement in bowel frequency, urgency, flatulence, belching, borborygmi and stool consistency were seen, but did not reach statistical significance (p≤0.004-0.031). Dietary intervention is an effective treatment option for patients with symptomatic bile acid malabsorption and should be routinely considered., (© Royal College of Physicians 2017. All rights reserved.)

Background: Therapeutic radiotherapy is an important treatment of pelvic cancers. Historically, low-fiber diets have been recommended despite a lack of evidence and potentially beneficial mechanisms of fiber. Objective: This randomized controlled trial compared low-, habitual-, and high-fiber diets for the prevention of gastrointestinal toxicity in patients undergoing pelvic radiotherapy. Design: Patients were randomly assigned to low-fiber [≤10 g nonstarch polysaccharide (NSP)/d], habitual-fiber (control), or high-fiber (≥18 g NSP/d) diets and received individualized counseling at the start of radiotherapy to achieve these targets. The primary endpoint was the difference between groups in the change in the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire-Bowel Subset (IBDQ-B) score between the starting and nadir (worst) score during treatment. Other measures included macronutrient intake, stool diaries, and fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations. Results: Patients were randomly assigned to low-fiber ( n = 55), habitual-fiber ( n = 55), or high-fiber ( n = 56) dietary advice. Fiber intakes were significantly different between groups ( P < 0.001). The difference between groups in the change in IBDQ-B scores between the start and nadir was not significant ( P = 0.093). However, the change in score between the start and end of radiotherapy was smaller in the high-fiber group (mean ± SD: -3.7 ± 12.8) than in the habitual-fiber group (-10.8 ± 13.5; P = 0.011). At 1-y postradiotherapy ( n = 126) the difference in IBDQ-B scores between the high-fiber (+0.1 ± 14.5) and the habitual-fiber (-8.4 ± 13.3) groups was significant ( P = 0.004). No significant differences were observed in stool frequency or form or in short-chain fatty acid concentrations. Significant reductions in energy, protein, and fat intake occurred in the low- and habitual-fiber groups only. Conclusions: Dietary advice to follow a high-fiber diet during pelvic radiotherapy resulted in reduced gastrointestinal toxicity both acutely and at 1 y compared with habitual-fiber intake. Restrictive, non-evidence-based advice to reduce fiber intake in this setting should be abandoned. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT 01170299., (© 2017 American Society for Nutrition.)

The percentage of the population living with a diagnosis of cancer is rising. By 2030, there will be 4 million cancer survivors in the UK. One quarter of cancer survivors are left with physical symptoms, which affect their quality of life. Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are the most common of all chronic physical side-effects of cancer treatment and have the greatest impact on daily activity. Cancer therapies induce long-term changes in bowel function due to alterations to specific GI physiological functions. In addition, the psychological effect of a cancer diagnosis, new GI disease or pre-existing underlying conditions, may also contribute to new symptoms. Twenty-three upper GI symptoms have been identified as occurring after pelvic radiotherapy. After upper GI cancer treatment, the most troublesome symptoms include reflux, abdominal pain, indigestion, diarrhoea and fatigue. Often, several symptoms are present simultaneously and women experience more symptoms than men. The symptoms which patients rate as most difficult are urgency, wind, diarrhoea, incontinence, abdominal pain and rectal bleeding. Recent UK Guidance on managing GI symptoms suggests that these symptoms can be treated especially if gastroenterological advice is combined with dietetic and nursing input to optimise investigations and management. However, as different pathological processes can result in identical symptoms; a systematic, 'algorithmic' approach to assess and treat these symptoms is required. This paper aims to illustrate the value of such an approach to investigate and treat the most common GI symptoms that trouble patients. The algorithm allows clinicians to institute a comprehensive medical management plan.