Celiac Disease And Chemotherapy

[InsaneMomTo3Kids]

My husband was diagnosed with lung cancer in Sept. 2007. He ended his chemo and radiation treatments in December 2007 and is now cancer free. In February he began to have celiac disease symptoms (bloating, vomitting, etc.) even though we had no idea what was causing these symptoms. The oncologist said it wasn't his cancer treatment, but didn't know what it was. He then saw a Gastrologist and had the test that was a scope down his throat and found that he had celiac damage and was then diagnosed. My question is: could the chemo have destroyed whatever it was that made him have Celiac disease or is it just a coincidence?

Thanks for the help,

Michele

[Ursa Major]

Usually, if somebody has the tendency towards celiac disease, it needs a trigger to activate those genes into full-blown celiac disease (like illness, accident, pregnancy, severe stress). The chemo could well have been that trigger, despite of what the doctor says.

[InsaneMomTo3Kids]

We also believe that the chemo and stress probably triggered his Celiac to come to the surface and rear it's ugly head.

Thanks for your reply,

Michele

[cruelshoes]

Celiac generally consists of 3 things:

1) Genetic Predisposition

2) Exposure to Gluten

3) Trigger event(s) - a period of stress, an illness, pregnancy, etc.

Your husband already had 1 and 2, and the cancer treatment created the third. Chemo and radiation were also the trigger for my celiac. I had 2 years of chemo and several months of radiation for Rhabdomyosarcoma when I was a teenager. My symptoms started then, and did not stop for 18 years until I was diagnosed. I am glad your husband did not have to suffer for many years before being diagnosed.

Hope this helps.

[InsaneMomTo3Kids]

I'm sorry to hear that you also had to walk the path of cancer, but it looks like you won the battle....Congrats!!

It's reassuring to hear of someone else that had their celiac triggered due to chemo/radiation. Now we don't feel like we're going crazy. Will he ever "out grow" the celiac symptoms, or will he always have to eat gluten-free?

Thanks,

Michele

[cruelshoes]

Celiac is a life long condition. There is currently no "cure" aside from the gluten free diet. Several drugs are being tested now, but even those do not promise to allow us to be able to eat gluten with impunity. They are probably only going to be a safety net in case of accidental cross contamination. You husband is going to need to be 100% gluten free for life to stop the autoimmune response from happening and to heal from the damage that has already occurred.

BTW - I also know another woman who just finished her chemo for breast cancer and a month later got a celiac diagnosis. Seems chemo as a trigger is more common than your husband's oncologist thought.

Glad to hear your husband is in remission. Please let us know how we can help you on this new journey.