A retrospective review of paclitaxel-associated gastrointestinal necrosis in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

Seven patients with gastrointestinal necrosis following paclitaxel chemotherapy are reported. Four of seven patients had platinum refractory disease, while 3/7 patients received primary paclitaxel therapy. Complications occurred 5 to 16 days following paclitaxel therapy. The most common clinical presentation was fever (7/7 patients), neutropenia (6/7 patients), and abdominal pain (6/7 patients). All seven patients developed gastrointestinal necrosis following the first cycle of paclitaxel chemotherapy. The exact mechanism by which this complication occurs is poorly understood. We postulate that gastrointestinal necrosis may be the result of a direct drug effect on the gastrointestinal epithelium and might involve a synergistic interaction between compromised bowel and paclitaxel-induced mitotic arrest. We observe that the incidence of gastrointestinal necrosis in patients with platinum refractory disease is 4 of 108 patients (3.7%). The incidence of this complication in patients receiving primary paclitaxel at our institution is 3 of approximately 128 patients (2.3%). Eighteen cases to date have been identified in the literature. A high index of suspicion of this complication should be considered for patients presenting with neutropenic fever and abdominal pain following paclitaxel chemotherapy. (C) 1997 Academic Press.