Gastrointestinal problems experienced during treatment among Egyptian pediatric cancer patients: A single center experience

Objectives: the objective of the study is to evaluate gastrointestinal problems in cancer patients during treatment. patients and methods: in a sample of 150 children having different childhood malignancies,the frequency,pattern and risk factors of gastrointestinal (git) symptoms were analyzed. results: almost 30% of pediatric cancer patients experienced one or more episode of git problems. overall prevalence of anticipatory vomiting was 12%,acute vomiting was 51.33%; delayed vomiting was 26% that was highest on day 2 with 18% experiencing vomiting and decreased to 8% by day 5. expectancy of nausea was found to be a strong predictor of subsequent occurrence of nausea and vomiting (p=0.047) as well as the chemotherapeutic regimen potentiality that significantly affected delayed vomiting (p=0.02). other predictive factors as age,gender,severity did not affect various forms of vomiting (p=0.156,p=0.802,p=0.147 respectively). forty percent of the enrolled patient suffered from mucositis,ranging from grade 1 to 3 according to who classification mostly associated with neutropenia,radiotherapy exposure and low body mass index. clinical features of oral candidiasis were present in 10% of patients. 28% of the enrolled patients had attacks of diarrhea while 11.33% experienced constipation mostly due to vincristine and/or opioids,18% had altered perception of taste or smell. conclusion: the gastrointestinal symptoms are common in cancer patients. early recognition of git symptoms is essential for early intervention and guide nutritional support.