Octreotide Compared With Loperamide Hydrochloride for Chemotherapy-Related Diarrhea in Patients With Colorectal Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: Histologically confirmed colorectal carcinoma At least grade 2 diarrhea as a consequence of chemotherapy PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: Age: 18 and over Performance status: ECOG 0-2 Life expectancy: Not specified Hematopoietic: Not specified Hepatic: Not specified Renal: Not specified Other: Concurrent enrollment into SWOG-9420 protocol allowed No sensitivity to octreotide acetate or loperamide hydrochloride Eligible if less than 24 hours since prior loperamide or octreotide and no resolution of diarrhea Not pregnant or lactating Effective contraception required of fertile patients Not HIV positive No idiopathic ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease, acute stool culture positive bacterial colitis, pseudomembranous colitis, short bowel syndrome, enteroenteric fistulae, chronic pancreatitis, ischemic bowel disease, or gastrointestinal disorders known to cause diarrhea Absence of definitive culture results required PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: Biologic therapy: Not specified Chemotherapy: Prior chemotherapy with a fluoropyrimidine alone or in combination with an accepted modulating agent (leucovorin, levamisole, methotrexate, interferon, PALA, or hydroxyurea) required Prior chemotherapy with uracil mustard and tegafur (UFT) allowed No concurrent chemotherapy allowed during study Endocrine therapy: Not specified Radiotherapy: No whole pelvic or abdominal radiation therapy allowed Surgery: No colectomy, coloanal anastamosis, abdominoperineal resection, or colostomy allowed Other: No antidiarrheal agents (e.g., diphenoxylate hydrochloride, elixir paregoric, opium tincture or tincture of belladonna, or kaolin) during study No cyclosporine allowed