Haemorrhage and perforation of gastrointestinal neoplasms during chemotherapy.

摘要

Gastrointestinal haemorrhage and perforation are known complications of cytotoxic therapy for chemosensitive tumours involving the wall of the gut, in particular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. These complications can be avoided by aggressive surgery before chemotherapy is started. When they do occur, early operative intervention is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. We report 4 cases in whom delay in diagnosis and surgery led to 3 deaths and suggest a policy for the management of such cases in the future.