Publication date: Mar 25, 2025

Gastrointestinal perforation (GIP) is a rare and potentially fatal adverse event of antineoplastic therapy. GIP is a rare but serious complication in oncology patients, often leading to significant morbidity and mortality. In general oncology patients, the incidence of GIP ranged from 0. 5 to 1. 9%. A meta-analysis of six clinical trials with 4579 patients reported an incidence of 1. 0%. Among mCRC patients, the incidence varied between 0. 5 and 2. 4%, with geographic differences-1. 5% in the USA and 2. 4% in Australia. For metastatic melanoma patients, the incidence of GIP ranged from 0. 4 to 0. 67%, with U. S. rates of 0. 57% and 0. 67% and a lower rate of 0. 40% reported in Germany. The findings suggest that the risk of GIP varies significantly across oncology populations and treatment regimens, with higher risks noted in metastatic cancer patients undergoing therapies such as VEGF inhibitors or immune checkpoint inhibitors. These data highlight the need for careful monitoring and early intervention in high-risk populations to reduce the impact of GIP on patient outcomes. This systematic review aims to summarize the incidence of GIP in general oncology, metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and metastatic melanoma (MM) populations. A literature search was conducted in Embase and Medline databases from January 1, 2011 to August 30, 2017, identifying relevant studies on GIP incidence.

Semantics

Original Article