19th March 2025
The PRDA is pleased to share the highly-anticipated British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) practice guidance on managing acute and chronic gastrointestinal symptoms caused by cancer treatment.
This comprehensive update of the original 2012 BSG guidance combines the latest expert knowledge with practical strategies to enhance patient care, and is particularly significant as it builds on the widely used Practical Management of the Gastrointestinal Symptoms of Pelvic Radiation Disease
What this means for healthcare professionals
This new guidance offers an updated, comprehensive approach to managing the gastrointestinal consequences of cancer treatment, such as bleeding, constipation, diarrhoea, pain, urgency, frequency, and incontinence, helping professionals provide the best possible care for these debilitating problems.
What this means for people living with Pelvic Radiation Disease
Anyone can access the document as it is now open access. If your healthcare team is not yet aware, feel free to share this with them so they can access the new guidance and apply it to improve care and symptom management.
As the abstract says:
“The physical, emotional and financial costs to individuals, their families and society from cancer therapy can be considerable. Identifying and signposting affected patients who require specialist services is the role of all clinicians. Progress in the treatment of cancer increasingly means that patients require expert, multidisciplinary supportive care providing effective and safe treatment at every stage of the cancer journey. Development of such expertise should be prioritised as should the education of health professionals and the public in what, when and how acute and chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and complications should be managed.”
The PRDA deeply appreciates the efforts of all the authors to produce this landmark document and thanks the British Society of Gastroenterology for its endorsement. We would particularly like to thank PRDA’s Medical Advisors Prof Jervoise Andreyev (lead author), Dr Claire Taylor, Dr Sally Darnborough, Dr Jan Bornschein, Dr Shameer Mehta, Dr Ana Wilson, Georgina Giebner and Susan Vyoral, and PRDA’s Patient Advisory Group member, Gill McGuire, for ensuring that the needs of people with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms after pelvic radiotherapy will be better met through the improvements in clinical care and general awareness of PRD that this document will bring.