Enterocolitis in Patients with Cancer Treated with Docetaxel

Enterocolitis is a rare, but serious gastrointestinal complication associated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy in patients with cancer. The incidence, clinical presentation and outcome of enterocolitis in patients with cancer treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy was assessed in this study Patients and Methods: All patients treated with docetaxel for cancer between January 2010 and December 2014 at the University Hospital of Besançon were identified and their medical records reviewed.

During this period, 1,227 patients received docetaxel chemotherapy and gastrointestinal events occurred in 381 (31.1%) patients. In multivariate analysis, a higher risk of gastrointestinal events was associated with a higher dose of docetaxel (≥75 mg/m²) (odds ratio(OR)=46.2; 95% confidence interval(CI)=5.4-397.0, p=0.0005) and the first cycle of docetaxel (OR=4.2; 95% CI=1.8-10.1, p=0.001). Among the 381 patients with gastrointestinal events, grade 3/4 neutropenia, diarrhea, febrile neutropenia, mucositis, nausea/vomiting, and rectal bleeding were diagnosed in 65 (17.1%), 51 (13.4%), 37 (9.7%); 12 (3.1%), seven (1.8%) and three (0.8%) patients, respectively; 54 patients (14.2%) were hospitalized. Computed tomographic scan was performed for 39 patients (10.2%). Twenty-seven patients presented radiological signs of enterocolitis. Three deaths (0.8%) related to enterocolitis were recorded. Docetaxel was resumed in 261 patients (68.5%) and the dose was reduced in 89 patients (23.4%). Docetaxel was discontinued in 120 patients (31.5%).

Gastrointestinal events in patients treated with docetaxel may be a potential sign of fatal enterocolitis and require particular attention. Dose reduction at the first cycle may reduce the risk of such events.