Topkan, E., & Karaoglu, A. (2006). Octreotide in the management of chemoradiotherapy-induced diarrhea refractory to loperamide in patients with rectal carcinoma. Oncology, 71(5–6), 354–360.

Patients received 150 mcg octreotide subcutaneously three times daily once they were unresponsive to oral loperamide administration (4 mg three times per day for 48 hours).
All patients received hydration and were advised to consume a low-fiber, low-lactose diet.

The study reported on 42 patients with rectal carcinoma who experienced grade 2-3 diarrhea associated with at least one course of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) administration refractory to loperamide during whole pelvic radiation therapy (RT).
The maximum number of days of octreotide treatment was five. If patients had progressive improvement of chemoradiotherapy-induced diarrhea (CRTID) during the five days of treatment but not a complete response (CR), chemoradiotherapy (CRT) was discontinued and octreotide was extended for three days.

This study was prospectively designed.

The primary goal was complete resolution of CRTID. The secondary goal was prevention of treatment delays attributed to diarrhea.

The median duration of diarrhea prior to first dose of octreotide was 78 hours.
Most cases of diarrhea were diagnosed in the first four weeks.
The median time-to-first dose of octreotide acetate was 19 days.
All patients tolerated octreotide well.
Complete resolution of diarrhea was achieved in 34 of 42 patients during the planned treatment period (five days).
Average time to CR was 2.7 days.
No treatment delays were reported in 34 patients who responded to subcutaneous octreotide administration.
CRT was delayed an average of 7.7 days in the eight unresponsive patients.
Those with CR were able to be treated as outpatients; nonresponders required hospitalization.

The sample size was small.
The study looked at rectal carcinoma only so generalizing to other disease sites is difficult.
No statistical significance was reported.
Only descriptive results were provided.