Plasma Levels of Glucagon-like Peptide-2 and Dyspepsia in Patients With Extraintestinal Cancer During Chemotherapy
Condition: Breast Cancer; Lung Cancer; Dyspepsia
MeSH terms: Dyspepsia
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      The specific aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the development of
      dyspepsia and GI dyspeptic symptoms in relation to circulating levels of peculiar GI peptides
      (such gastrin, pepsinogen and GLP-2) in patients with non-gastrointestinal neoplasm well
      controlled for emesis.
    

Detailed description: 
      The complications of anticancer treatment threaten the effectiveness of therapy because they
      lead to dose reduction, increase healthcare costs, and impair patients' quality of life.
      Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are the most frequent side effects of antineoplastic
      chemotherapy behind bone-marrow depression, with nausea and vomiting representing the mainly
      referred ones.

      Gastrointestinal (GI) mucositis, which represents injury of the rest of the alimentary tract
      beyond oral mucositis, is becoming recognized increasingly as a toxicity associated with many
      standard-dose chemotherapy regimens. Although clinicians consider them "minor complaints",
      many patients (40-100%) treated with chemotherapy and/or exposed to ionizing radiation suffer
      from such a disease. After chemotherapy, GI mucositis is most prominent in the small
      intestine, but it also occurs in the esophagus, stomach, and large intestine. The GI symptoms
      related to mucositis mimic those from other GI disease (such as dyspepsia, reflux disease or
      abdominal pain and diarrhea). Alimentary tract mucositis increases morbility and mortality
      and contribute to rising health care cost.

      The comprehension of pathophysiology will shed light on the rationale for targeting specific
      pathways and so for the use of specific agents for prevention and treatment. Since the role
      of chemotherapy in the onset of GI motility disorders in addition to minor GI complaints has
      not been clarified yet. Understanding the pathophysiology of mucositis, its measures and
      scores, are essential for progress in research and care direct at this common side-effect of
      anticancer therapy. Currently, there is not strong evidence to support a recommendation for
      and against the use of certain agents (mucosal surface protectants, antiinflammatory or
      antimicrobial agents, growth factors, etc).
    

Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Twenty-five patients who had undergone surgical ablation of the primitive tumour (lung and
        breast cancer) as definitive primary treatment and attending the Oncology Day Hospital of
        our Institute,and the IRCCS Oncologico of Bari will be enrolled. They had to be scheduled
        for adjuvant therapies associated with a standard dosage of antiserotoninergic drugs
        according to ESMO recommendations
      
Biospecimen description: 
      whole blood serum
    
Keywords: mucositis; dyspepsia; chemotherapy; GLP-2; questionnaire