Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a common complication of abdominal and pelvic cancers. Surgery may be offered as an intervention, but is not appropriate for all patients. For those patients with inoperable MBO, symptom management is priority. Somatostatin analogues, such as octreotide, are used as first line therapy, but are expensive compared to alternatives. This systematic review of current literature evaluated the evidence of effectiveness of somatostatin analogues compared with placebo and/or other medications in relieving vomiting in patients with inoperable MBO and found little evidence supporting their use and identified the need for better powered studies.
Link to J Pain Symptom Manage abstract (12/2016)
