Implications of chemotherapy-induced diarrhea on dosing intensity

Abstract

6128 Background: Diarrhea is a significant dose-limiting toxicity associated with chemotherapy treatment among cancer patients. The objective of this study was to describe the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who experience chemotherapy induced diarrhea (CID) and to describe their diarrhea-related management patterns in a real-world setting. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed management patterns of 378 cancer patients, ≥18 years, who experienced diarrhea during their chemotherapy treatment between 2000 and 2003 from 25 community oncology centers throughout the US. Demographic characteristics, severity of diarrhea, and changes to chemotherapy treatment due to diarrhea were evaluated using descriptive analysis. Comparisons of planned chemotherapy therapy versus actual chemotherapy received by patients due to diarrhea were conducted using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression models. Results: Patients experiencing CID were mostly white (80%) and middle-aged (mean 67...