EVALUATION OF SHORT-CHAIN FATTY-ACID ENEMAS - TREATMENT OF RADIATION PROCTITIS

Background: Radiation proctitis is a common complication of abdominal and pelvic radiotherapy; unfortunately, there is no established effect ive therapy for radiation proctitis, Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) ha ve been effectively used to treat a variety of colitides, We sought to determine whether SCFA enemas have a role in the treatment of radiati on proctitis, Methods: Seven patients completed an open-labeled, pilot study to evaluate the effect of SCFA on clinical, endoscopic, and pat hological parameters of radiation proctitis, Results: Four weeks of tr eatment with SCFA enemas resulted in clinical improvement in all patie nts, There were modest, but not significant, changes in endoscopic and pathological parameters, Conclusion: SCFA are a promising therapeutic option in radiation proctitis.