Exploring the Management of Radiation Proctitis in Current Clinical Practice

Introduction: Radiation proctitis is radiation induced rectal mucositis, occurring as a consequence to radiation therapy of the pelvic organs for various pelvic region malignancies. The management of radiation proctitis is extremely challenging as no recommended guidelines are available and limited number of studies are there in the literature involving the various treatment options. Aim: The aim of the study is the in-depth review of published literature to see the role of various treatment modalities in the management of radiation proctitis. Materials and Methods: An integrative review was undertaken within PubMed, MEDLINE, PMC, GOOGLE SEARCH databases and articles published upto February 2015 were reviewed and analysed. A total of 54 studies were included. Results: Literature suggests that non surgical therapies are the first line of treatment and surgery is reserved for advanced or refractory cases. Endoscopic therapies form the mainstay of treatment in managing the patients of radiation proctitis. Argon plasma coagulation and laser therapies are preferred. Radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation and mesenchymal stem cell therapy are the upcoming modalities. Medical therapy can be tried alone or in conjunction to endoscopic therapies. In the resistant or refractory cases, surgery can be looked for in the form of diversion or resection with or without anastamosis. Conclusion: Though, a number of options are available, still a lot can be explored in this field to improve the morbidity in the patients and to confirm the superiority of one treatment over other.