[A prospective study of chronic radiation lesions of the small intestine after radiotherapy of gynecologic cancer].

A prospective study was made of 80 patients with a history of gynecological malignancy, and who had received radiotherapy 2 to 5 years previously in the same centre, with the aim of determining the incidence of lesions of the small intestine after pelvic radiotherapy. Various moderate gastrointestinal symptoms were seen in 33 patients and incapacitating diarrhea in 2. Thirty-seven patients underwent gastrointestinal investigations. The great majority had a good nutritional status and normal laboratory results. Fecal losses on a normal oral diet and alpha-1-antitrypsin clearance were most often normal (3 cases of steatorrhea, 8 of creatorrhea). Small bowel barium studies revealed minor abnormalities of folds in 5 cases. There was no correlation between clinical symptomatology and the existence of laboratory and radiological abnormalities. This study shows the usual good tolerance of pelvic radiotherapy by the small intestine, at least in the mid-term. Routine investigations seeking sub-clinical intestinal lesions do not appear to be justified in patients who have undergone pelvic radiotherapy.