Chronic side effects of radiation therapy

[Guest guest]

- RADIATION THERAPY SPURS LEAKY GUT

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- DAMAGE TO INTESTINAL LINING MAY UNDERLIE CHRONIC SIDE-EFFECTS OF

CANCER TREATMENT

Sometimes, the problem with a powerful method of treatment is that

it's too powerful. Radiation therapy, for example, is often used to

treat cancerous tumors. Unfortunately, it destroys much more than

just cancer cells.

Electromagnetic rays from radiation used to treat cancers of the

female organs can also severely damage the bowel. Called " actinic

damage, " this injury often triggers temporary nausea, vomiting, and

abdominal cramps. In up to 60% of women treated, the gut lining

becomes chronically inflamed - making diarrhea and other bowel

dysfunction persist.

What is it exactly that goes wrong in a gut exposed to this

radiation?

To answer this question, researchers from the Institute of Nutrition

and Food Technology at the University of Chile recently performed

intestinal permeability (IP) assessment and other analyses on a group

of 15 women before and after they underwent radiation therapy for

gynecological tumors. These analyses, they hoped, might lead to

improved therapeutic interventions for patients who develop chronic

actinic damage.

One of the most striking findings was radiation's ability to trigger

" leaks " in the gut lining. The lactulose/mannitol ratio, which

compares the rate that two nondigestable sugars permeate through the

intestinal mucosal layer, more than doubled in the women after five

weeks of pelvic radiation - a classic indication of " leaky gut. "

Biopsy of patients' intestinal tissue supported these findings. Small

finger-like projections in the gut lining called villi - which are

pivotal for healthy absorption of nutrients - became significantly

distorted by the radiation.

The degree of these " wasting-like " alterations in intestinal function

could play an important role, researchers speculated, in determining

whether patients exposed to standard pelvic radiation go on to

develop acute actinic enteritis.

The small bowel was the most susceptible to radiation damage.

Increased production of free radicals - destructive, unstable

molecules - tipped the balance toward increased cell death as opposed

to cell regeneration.

Leaky gut is linked to the increased ability of bacteria and toxins

to slip past gut barrier defense and gain entry into the systemic

circulation, where they may incite chronic inflammation. The

condition could also damage distant organs another way - by setting

off a chain reaction of over-activated immune cells.

NOTE: Urinary infections were another complication developing in some

women after pelvic radiation treatment. These could also be related

to leaky gut. " Gut integrity problems that induce translocation of

bacteria and yeast could promote such infections, " notes

Furlong, N.D., of our Department of Medical Science.

Two functional gastrointestinal assessments are important for helping

to optimize and restore gut function in response to disruptions

caused by chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antibiotic treatment, and

other powerful interventions.

The Intestinal Permeability Assessment is a noninvasive challenge

assessment of gut barrier integrity and absorptive function. The test

is profiled at http://www.gsdl.com/assessments/ip/

The Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis features important

clinical indicators associated with chronic diarrhea complications.

The test also provides a thorough evaluation of gut bacterial

balance, digestive and absorptive function, yeast status,

inflammation, and more. For more information, visit

http://www.gsdl.com/assessments/cdsa/