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Scientific article
Case report
English

Malignant irreversible intestinal obstruction: the powerful association of octreotide to corticosteroids, antiemetics, and analgesics

Contributors

Weber, Catherine; Zulian, Gilbert

Published in

The American journal of hospice & palliative care, vol. 26, no. 2, p. 84-88

Publication date

2009

Abstract

In the case of malignant intestinal obstruction, surgery often carries important mortality and morbidity risks, and feasibility is neither realistic nor reasonable. A total of 4 clinical cases of intestinal obstruction caused by advanced gastrointestinal cancers in their terminal phase are described. The association of analgesics, corticosteroids, antiemetics, and octreotide was effective to relieve symptoms of intestinal obstruction for the remaining lifetime. The insertion of a nasogastric tube was avoided in 3 of 4 cases. Death occurred 51, 56, and 64 days after clinical and radiological diagnosis of irreversible intestinal obstruction. This combination of drugs appears very powerful and well tolerated. The relatively long survival that was observed should encourage future studies of longer half-life somatostatin analogues with no need of continuous infusion or multiple daily injections.

Keywords

  • Adrenal Cortex Hormones/*therapeutic use
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Analgesics/*therapeutic use
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Gastrointestinal Agents/*therapeutic use
  • Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/complications
  • Humans
  • Intestinal Obstruction/*drug therapy/etiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Octreotide/*therapeutic use
  • Prognosis
  • Terminal Care/*methods
  • Terminally Ill

UNIGE affiliation entities

UNIGE research groups

Citation (ISO format)

WEBER, Catherine, ZULIAN, Gilbert. Malignant irreversible intestinal obstruction: the powerful association of octreotide to corticosteroids, antiemetics, and analgesics. In: The American journal of hospice & palliative care, 2009, vol. 26, n° 2, p. 84–88. doi: 10.1177/1049909108327967

Identifiers

Additional URL for this publication

http://ajh.sagepub.com/content/26/2/84

Journal ISSN

1049-9091
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Technical informations

Creation

23/04/2012 10:26:59

First validation

23/04/2012 10:26:59

Update

14/03/2023 17:23:21

Status update

14/03/2023 17:23:21

Last indexation

29/10/2024 19:25:17
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