MASCC 2016 | Overview of symposium focused on chemotherapy and irritable bowel syndrome

Jervoise Andreyev, MA, PhD, FRCP of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom gives an overview of Helsinn-sponsored symposium focused on a single case of a patient receiving chemotherapy for lung cancer. Dr Andreyev mentions that the patient had experienced irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) for years before the cancer diagnosis, which had an impact on the chemotherapy side effects. By bringing together experts from various fields it is possible to better understand patient’s situation and focus on the patient rather than a lung cancer that requires treatment. Evidence shows that people with IBS experience much higher level of toxicities when treated with radiotherapy. Dr Andreyev highlights that this is something that needs to be thought about routinely in patients. Close links between cancer doctors and gastroenterologists should be established to address IBS in advance of the treatment or to intervene when necessary. Recorded at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) and International Society of Ocular Oncology (ISOO) 2016 Annual Meeting on Supportive Care in Cancer held in Adelaide, Australia.