Gastrointestinal Complications (PDQ®)
Cancer Information Summaries « English « Patients « G
Introduction
This patient summary on gastrointestinal complications is adapted from a summary written for health professionals by cancer experts. This and other credible information about cancer treatment, screening, prevention, supportive care, and ongoing clinical trials, is available from the National Cancer Institute. Gastrointestinal complications such as constipation, impaction, bowel obstruction, diarrhea, and radiation enteritis are common problems for cancer patients, with causes that include the cancer itself or treatment of the cancer. This brief summary describes the differences between constipation, impaction, bowel obstruction, and diarrhea; their causes; and their treatment. Treatment of children is different from adults. The doctor will prescribe treatments according to the child’s age and diagnosis.
This record was last updated on January 9th, 2009.
About the PDQ Cancer Information Summaries from the National Cancer Institute
PDQ (Physician Data Query) is a comprehensive cancer database published by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention, genetics, and supportive care, and complementary and alternative medicine; a registry of cancer clinical trials; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care.
The PDQ Cancer Information Summaries are peer reviewed and updated monthly by six editorial boards comprised of specialists in adult treatment, pediatric treatment, supportive care, screening and prevention, genetics, and complementary and alternative medicine. The Boards review current literature from more than 70 biomedical journals, evaluate its relevance, and synthesize it into clear summaries. Many of the summaries are also available in Spanish.
Linked medical terms appearing on this page are added by Healia to help readers find more information and are not part of the original PDQ document.