Octreotide treatment of carcinoid syndrome: analysis of published dose-titration data.
BACKGROUND: Octreotide has proven therapeutically effective in carcinoid syndrome, but the rarity of carcinoid tumors has hampered detailed dose-ranging studies. This study analysed published dose-titration data on octreotide use in carcinoid patients to (a) investigate the relation between octreotide dose and efficacy and (b) establish octreotide dosing recommendations for maximum therapeutic benefit. METHOD: An exhaustive, computer-assisted literature search for published articles employing octreotide to manage patients with carcinoid syndrome was performed using several databases. The relation between octreotide dose and efficacy in decreasing urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels, flushing and diarrhoea was analysed for seven dose ranges by pooling data from selected articles. RESULTS: Analysis of data compiled from 62 published studies revealed that maximum effective therapeutic doses of octreotide effectively controlled symptoms in up to 93% of patients, and that increasing the dose of octreotide is associated with increased benefit with respect to control of flushing, diarrhoea and 5-HIAA levels. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend starting octreotide therapy at 100 micrograms subcutaneously t.d.s. in patients with mild/moderate, non-life-threatening carcinoid syndrome. Since therapeutic response to octreotide varies markedly among patients, we recommend titrating the octreotide dose in increments of 50-100 micrograms every 8 h until adequate symptom control is achieved.