Prophylactic use of octreotide for asparaginase-induced acute pancreatitis

In the present study, we sought to evaluate the prophylactic use of octreotide for asparaginase-induced acute pancreatitis. We reviewed the medical records of seven patients in two institutions who received prophylactic octreotide for re-administration of asparaginase after asparaginase-induced acute pancreatitis. Three patients completed asparaginase treatment without developing pancreatitis, and four experienced recurrence of pancreatitis. A literature search using PubMed identified four additional patients in whom asparaginase was successfully re-administered with octreotide. Prophylactic use of octreotide may, thus, be warranted for patients who would benefit from re-administration of asparaginase for cancer treatment; however, careful observation is needed to monitor for breakthrough recurrence of pancreatitis.