Cancer therapy-induced intestinal injury: Mechanisms, clinical manifestations, and management strategies

As cancer treatment advances in recent years, people with cancer are living longer, but the side effects of these treatments on normal tissues remain a major challenge, particularly the intestines. Intestinal injury induced by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and surgical intervention represents an important factor that limits the effectiveness of cancer treatment. The common symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal pain and malabsorption, which can substantially impair the patients’ quality of life and may lead to severe complications. At present, the clinical strategies for the prevention and treatment of therapy-induced intestinal injury are still relatively scarce. In this minireview, we focus on the mechanisms underlying cancer therapy-induced intestinal injury, including oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and gut microbiota imbalance, and discuss targeted therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing morbidity, improving patient outcomes, and fostering a better quality of life.