The Effects of Oral Lactocare® Administration on Gastrointestinal Disorders Caused by Chemotherapy in Children

Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for children with cancer, which is associated with gastrointestinal diseases. Synbiotics are supplements containing probiotics and prebiotics that potentially have a significant effect in modulating the intestinal microbiota.

This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 88 children with non-hematological neoplasms. Patients were randomly divided into two groups to receive Lactocare® and placebo (46 patients in the Lactocare group and 42 patients in the placebo group). Patients receive the drugs twice a day for 14 days. The number of times diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, and constipation caused by chemotherapy were evaluated after the start of receiving Lactocare and placebo until the end of the study.

In the Lactocare® group, the duration of diarrhea and constipation (in days) after the first week was significantly less than in the placebo group (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of the severity of nausea and vomiting (P > 0.05). The placebo group in our study was 1.37 times more likely to have diarrhea compared to the LactoCare®-treatment group (P = 0.041, odds ratio: 1.37; confidence interval: 1.05-3.31).

In this study, the use of Lactocare® reduced diarrhea and constipation caused by chemotherapy in patients. It seems that the use of Lactocare® synbiotic supplement is an easy and effective way to reduce diarrhea and constipation caused by chemotherapy in patients with neoplasms.