Gut peptide profile and chemotherapy-associated dyspepsia syndrome in patients with breast cancer undergoing FEC60 chemotherapy.

OBJECTIVE

The association of motilin, ghrelin, leptin, gastrin, pepsinogen (PG) I and II with cancer chemotherapy-associated dyspepsia syndrome (CADS) was investigated in 35 patients with breast cancer receiving first cycle of 5-fluorouracil, cyclophosphamide, epirubicin (FEC60) chemotherapy.

METHODS

The onset of dyspeptic symptoms on days 3 and 10 after chemotherapy identified patients with and without CADS. Gastrointestinal symptoms were scored with the Gastrointestinal Symptom Scoring Rate (GSRS) questionnaire. Gastrointestinal peptides were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

RESULTS

Twenty-one patients (60%) had CADS. The area under the curve (AUC) of ghrelin was higher, whereas that of PGI, PGII and motilin were lower in patients with CADS compared to those without. In patients with CADS, the AUC of PGI and PGII negatively correlated with the GSRS indigestion cluster.

CONCLUSIONS

Impairment of gastrointestinal motility suggested by low motilin concentrations and mucosal damage mirrored by an increase of ghrelin seem to be involved in the onset of CADS in patients during chemotherapy for breast cancer.