Dl6ESTLlUER 06 2002;341SUPPL.21:S84-6 Prophylaxis of diarrhoea in patients submitted to radiotherapeutic treatment on pelvic district: personal experience P. Delia Diarrhoea is a severe side-effect of radiotherapy on the pelvic area. It is G. Sansotta due to acute enteric damage. We aimed at determining the ability of a V. Donato highly concentrated freezedried living bacteria compound [VSL/3] to re- G. Messina duce these side-effects in 190 patients receiving radio therapy on the R Frosina pelvic area. A total of 95 patients received radiotherapy alone and 95 S. Pergolizzi were also administered VSL/3 bags, at doses of one bag three times C. De Renzis a day beginning on the first day of the radiotherapy treatment. The same diet was indicated for both groups. All patients were irradiated for 6 to 7 weeks, with Linac X-6 MV or 15 MV through a box multiportal tech- nique with the lower limit of the fields below the obturator foramina, up per limit at L5Sl, lateral limit I. 5 cm beyond the innominate hip. The total radiated dose ranged from 60 to70 Gy for a daily dose of 180 cGy Gastroenteric toxicity was rated in WHO degrees. Two patients receiv- ing radiotherapy alone had to discontinue the treatment due to acute en- teritis. Toxicity was found in 52 [5D.6%] patients with radiotherapy alone vs 36 (30.570J patients receiving VSL/3. None of them had to discon- tinue radiotherapy Toxicity of degrees 3 or 4 was found in 28 patients receiving radiotherapy alone vs 7 with VSL/3. These preliminary data suggest the effectiveness of VSL/3 in preventing the occurrence of di- arrhoea in patients submitted to radiotherapy with a direct and indirect improvement of their quality of life and a good tolerance. Digest Liver Dis 2002;34ISuppl.21:S84-6 Key words: diarrhoea; probiotics; radiotherapy. Introduction Diarrhoea, besides worsening the quality of life of patients submitted to ra- diating therapy, may also lead, in severe cases, to the interruption of the ra- diating treatment. Diarrhoea usually occurs two weeks after the beginning of the treatment, and it is related to the dose/fraction and to the radiated volume. The intesti- nal tract more radio sensitive is the small intestine epithelium ‘. fmw The initial reaction is of the early type and may occur during radiotherapy. Rad~ulugic Science Institute,Oncologic It is represented by a picture, the severity of which is related to the amount Radiotherapy Unit, University h’ospita, of small intestine irradiated and to the doses used as well ‘. A@sins, Its/y, The aim of our investigation was to use, besides, an appropriate dietetic blaf&m& regime, a preparation of highly concentrated freeze-dried living bacteria Dr. P. Delia, /St&@Scienze R8diologich constituting the probiotic microflora and set in such an optimal way, both DivisionRediocerapis Oncoogica, .&&de for quality and quantity, as to exert a rebalancing effect on the intestinal flo- @padat&a lkvamim~ E Martiinonr Via ra, (VSL/3 Sigma-Tau, Rome, Italy), in order to reduce the incidence of di- Consoiare Vale& I, 98124 Msssina, Italy arrhoea, thus improving the patient’s quality of life and greatly decreasing Fax +35#L?c??73192 the risk of discontinuing the radiotherapy. “Probiotics” are all those prod- ucts containing freeze-dried living bacteria (i.e., which are able to repro- 584