ISSN: 1837-9664Journal of Cancer
Global reach, higher impact
J Cancer 2022; 13(3):815-822. doi:10.7150/jca.63837 This issue Cite
Research Paper
Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Positive Celiac Serology and Cancer Therapy Exposure
1. Department of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center, 6431 Fannin Street, MSB 1.134, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
2. Department of Pathology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 1466, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
3. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Davis Medical Center, 4400 V Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA.
4. Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 1466, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
Objectives: The prevalence of celiac disease (CD) among cancer patients is unknown, yet new cases of CD occur after cancer therapy exposure. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical course and endoscopic features of patients with positive celiac serology (PCS) post-cancer therapy exposure (PCTE) as compared to those with no cancer therapy exposure (NCTE).
Methods: A retrospective study of adult patients with PCS at MD Anderson Cancer Center between March 2009 and May 2020. Patients with positive tTG IgA, tTG IgG, and/or EMA IgA were categorized into cases with NCTE and PCTE. Clinical course, endoscopic and histologic features, and treatments were compared between the two groups.
Results: Of the 4,345 patients screened for celiac serology, 21 (0.5%) met inclusion criteria. 12 were PCTE, with a median time of 258 days (173-930 days) from initiation of the last cancer therapy. Those PCTE had a higher rate of diarrhea (75% vs 22%, p = 0.030), malnutrition and death. A gluten-free diet was initiated in 82% PCTE vs 89% NCTE, with the majority experiencing symptom resolution. There were no significant differences in endoscopic and histologic features. 17 patients met criteria for CD diagnosis.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that CD may be under-diagnosed in cancer patients. Patients with PCS after cancer therapy may present with diarrhea, nutritional deficiencies, and malnutrition, yet a gluten-free diet may be efficacious in treatment management. Therefore, CD should be considered when treating cancer patients. Given the relative proximity of PCS to cancer therapy exposure, future studies should investigate the association of cancer and cancer therapy with the development of CD.
Keywords: celiac disease, chemotherapy, diarrhea, immunomodulator therapy, malnutrition
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