When would you consider a workup for C. diff in a patient with diarrhea under-going concurrent chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer?

Topics: Radiation Oncology • Gastrointestinal Cancers

If the patient is outpatient and coming into clinic each day, at what point would you initiate a C. diff workup?

Answer from: Radiation Oncologist at Academic Institution

Good question – and hard to pinpoint a strict answer. I think any time the diarrhea is out of proportion to expectation (i.e., very early in RT course), clinically significant (dehydration, etc), and not controlled or responding to anti-diarrheal medications, especially in the setting of C. di...

Comments

Radiation Oncologist at Angelhaven LLC
The patient presented with just the above symptoms...

Radiation Oncologist at Mon Health
Because of the highly infectious nature of C. diff...

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