- Patient Evaluation
- Patient Counseling
- Patient Monitoring
- Medical Intervention
Patient Evaluation
Screen for the risk factors of capivasertib-associated diarrhea.
1
Patient Counseling
Educate patients on symptoms that require intervention, timely reporting of events, dietary adjustments, and stool monitoring.
1
Inform patients that the median time to onset of diarrhea is 8 days (range, 2–22 days).
2, 3
Diarrhea – incidence
Frequency, time to occurrence, and dose modification of diarrhea under treatment with capivasertib+ fulvestrant in CAPItello-291
1
| Capivasertib + fulvestrant Overall population (n=355) | |
|---|---|
| Diarrhea of any grade % | 72.4 |
| Grade 3* | 9.3 |
| Median days to the first occurrence of diarrhea | 8 (range 2–22) |
| Diarrhea leading to dose modification % | |
| Dose interruption | 10.0 |
| Dose reduction | 8.0 |
| Permanent discontinuation | 2.0 |
Values in the PI may differ slightly from those reported in the Capivasertib Expert Opinion publication due to different cut-off dates and the inclusion of different preferred terms.
*No grade 4 diarrhea ARs were reported.
1. Iyengar NM, O'Shaughnessy JA, Moore HN, et al. Optimizing clinical monitoring and management guidelines for capivasertib in HR-positive/HER2-negative advanced breast cancer: expert opinion. npj Breast Cancer. 2025;12(1):16. doi:10.1038/s41523-025-00864-2.
Patient Monitoring
Encourage patients to maintain a stool diary, bring stool logs to follow-up visits, and contact their HCPs between visits.
1
Schedule follow-up visits every 2–3 weeks for the first 2–3 months of treatment
Medical Intervention
Manage diarrhea with a step-wise approach including dietary modifications, antidiarrheal treatments, and capivasertib dose modifications.
1
Dietary modifications
Recommend the following dietary modifications to patients when they report capivasertib associated diarrhea:
- Eating frequent, small meals which may include bananas, applesauce, and toast
- Ensuring adequate hydration with clear liquids such as water or broth
- Avoiding or limiting high fiber foods such as raw vegetables, beans and whole grains, lactose-containing products, caffeinated and alcoholic beverages, and high-osmolar supplements
Antidiarrheal treatments
Initiation:
- Loperamide 4 mg followed by 2 mg every 4 hours (maximum, 16 mg/day)
Persistent (>24 hours):
- Increase loperamide dose, up to 2 mg every 2 hours (maximum, 16 mg/day)
- Consider 1–2 tablets of diphenoxylate 2.5 mg plus atropine 0.025 mg every 6–8 hours in addition or as an alternative to loperamide
Additional HCP intervention
Consider a physical exam, complete blood count, basic metabolic panel including renal function assessment, and testing stool cultures for pathogens.
Test for the following pathogens: Clostridium difficile, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Giardia spp., Entamoeba spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Shigella spp., and Escherichia coli
Antidiarrheal treatments
Initiation:
- Loperamide 4 mg followed by 2 mg every 4 hours (maximum, 16 mg/day)
Persistent (>24 hours):
- Increase loperamide dose, up to 2 mg every 2 hours (maximum, 16 mg/day)
- Consider 1–2 tablets of diphenoxylate 2.5 mg plus atropine 0.025 mg every 6–8 hours in addition to or as an alternative to loperamide
For severe or persistent diarrhea despite dose interruption and antidiarrheal treatment
Consider a physical exam, complete blood count, basic metabolic panel including renal function assessment, and testing stool cultures for pathogens.
- Test for the following pathogens: Clostridium difficile, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Giardia spp., Entamoeba spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Shigella spp., and Escherichia coli
Antidiarrheal treatments
Initiation:
- Loperamide 4 mg followed by 2 mg every 2 hours (maximum, 16 mg/day)
- Consider 1–2 tablets of diphenoxylate 2.5 mg plus atropine 0.025 mg every 6–8 hours in addition to or as an alternative to loperamide
Persistent (>24 hours):
- Discontinue loperamide and/or diphenoxylate plus atropine
- Initiate octreotide 100–150 μg SC TID with dose escalation to 500 μg SC TID or tincture of opium
For severe or persistent diarrhea despite dose interruption and antidiarrheal treatment
Consider hospital admission for supportive care with IV hydration, electrolyte repletion, antibiotics, and multidisciplinary care.
Perform complete blood count, basic metabolic panel including renal function assessment, and testing stool cultures for pathogens.
- Test for the following pathogens: Clostridium difficile, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Giardia spp., Entamoeba spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Shigella spp., and Escherichia coli
Consider colonoscopy and imaging in patients with lobular BC to assess for bowel infiltration. This may mimic or exacerbate treatment-related diarrhea and require tailored oncologic management.
Antidiarrheal treatments
Initiation:
- Loperamide 4 mg followed by 2 mg every 2 hours (maximum, 16 mg/day)
- Consider 1–2 tablets of diphenoxylate 2.5 mg plus atropine 0.025 mg every 6–8 hours in addition to or as an alternative to loperamide
Persistent (>24 hours):
- Discontinue loperamide and/or diphenoxylate plus atropine
- Initiate octreotide 100–150 μg SC TID with dose escalation to 500 μg SC TID or tincture of opium
For severe or persistent diarrhea despite dose interruption and antidiarrheal treatment
Consider hospital admission for supportive care with IV hydration, electrolyte repletion, antibiotics, and multidisciplinary care.
Perform complete blood count, basic metabolic panel including renal function assessment, and testing stool cultures for pathogens.
- Test for the following pathogens: Clostridium difficile, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Giardia spp., Entamoeba spp., Cryptosporidium spp., Shigella spp., and Escherichia coli
Consider colonoscopy and imaging in patients with lobular BC to assess for bowel infiltration. This may mimic or exacerbate treatment-related diarrhea and require tailored oncologic management.