Hughes Hannah, Jajodia Ankush, Soyer Philippe, Mellnick Vincent, Patlas Michael N
Department of Radiology, St. Vincent's University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Can Assoc Radiol J. 2025 Feb;76(1):76-86. doi: 10.1177/08465371241252035. Epub 2024 May 9.
Cancer is the second most common cause of death worldwide. Bowel emergencies in patients with cancer are becoming increasingly more prevalent due to advances in cancer therapy and longer overall patient survival. When these patients present acutely, they are often frail and may have pre-existing co-morbidities. This article discusses the imaging features of bowel emergencies commonly encountered in oncological patients in clinical practice. These include chemotherapy related colitis, neutropenia enterocolitis and typhlitis, toxic megacolon, bowel perforation, malignant bowel obstruction and gastrointestinal haemorrhage. The radiologist plays a key role in identifying these oncological emergencies and guiding further management.
