Malabsorption following radiation therapy

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Abdominopelvic radiation therapy can lead to gastrointestinal (GI) injury.
• Chronic radiation changes may manifest as diarrhea and malabsorption.

Observation:

• A patient with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder experienced diarrhea post-radiotherapy.
• The patient was treated symptomatically for nine years, presumed to have radiation enteritis.

Findings:

• Further evaluation revealed pancreatic insufficiency with steatorrhea as the likely cause of diarrhea.
• The exact cause of pancreatic insufficiency, though temporally related to radiation, remains speculative.

Implications:

• Thorough evaluation for treatable causes is crucial for patients with post-radiotherapy diarrhea/malabsorption.
• This case highlights the importance of considering pancreatic insufficiency in radiation-induced GI symptoms.