Symptom management, outcomes and decision-making in malignant bowel obstruction: a retrospective cohort study

OBJECTIVES: Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a serious complication of advanced cancer with limited evidence to guide clinical management. This study aimed to characterise symptom relief, interventions, clinical outcomes and documentation of decision-making across management strategies for MBO. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients admitted with MBO (2020-2022) who were deceased at the time of data extraction. Electronic hospital records were reviewed for baseline characteristics, symptoms, interventions, medications, nutritional support, specialist palliative care involvement and patient preferences. Survival was analysed using adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Of the 211 patients, 103 received conservative treatment, 28 underwent stenting and 80 underwent surgery. Improved nausea, vomiting and pain was described across all groups. Symptom-relieving drugs were administered orally in 93 patients (44%). Specialist palliative care was provided before or during admission in 74 patients (72%) in the conservative group, 12 (43%) in the stent group and 12 (15%) in the surgery group. Discussions on resuscitation status were documented in 9% of surgical cases. Higher Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS) were associated with shorter survival (ECOG 3-4 vs 0-2: HR 2.67; mGPS 2 vs 0: HR 1.96). CONCLUSION: Patients selected for surgery had longer observed survival, consistent with differences in disease trajectory and baseline characteristics. However, symptom relief was described across all management strategies. Limited specialist palliative care involvement, poor documentation of patient preferences, and inconsistent attention to symptom control underscore the need for structured, patient-centred, multidisciplinary decision-making in MBO care.