2018 Volume 13 Issue 3 Pages 229-233
Dexamethasone (DEX) is used to palliate symptoms of malignant bowel obstruction (MBO). The aim of this study was to investigate the extent of oral intake in MBO patients treated with DEX. We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients (N=262) admitted to our palliative care unit and treated with DEX for MBO (N=10) from October 2016 to September 2017. The diagnostic criteria for MBO were clinical signs of MBO (medical history, body findings, and image findings), obstruction distal to the Treitz ligament, and the presence of incurable primary intra-abdominal or extra-abdominal cancer with peritoneal involvement. An increase in oral intake was observed in 6 patients over an average of 3.8 days. The initial dose of DEX was 8 mg/day in all patients. The results suggest that DEX might improve oral intake in patients with MBO.
