LAUSR

Although malignant bowel obstruction is common among patients with advanced cancer, the optimal treatment of these patients remains unknown. Management varies based on patient, physician, and surgeon experience and preferences, including supportive medical care, procedural interventions, and surgery. 1 With recent advances in the efficacy of systemic therapies in cancer patients with advanced disease, appropriate treatment for patients with malignant bowel obstruction may include both symptom palliation and bridging to systemic therapy, but navigating the challenges of overtreatment versus undertreatment of these complex patients is fraught. 2 Adding to this complexity, there is a paucity of research evaluating which treatment approach is associated with receipt of chemotherapy after a diagnosis of malignant bowel obstruction and whether chemotherapy is associated with improvements in survival among these high-risk patients.