Abstract Background Argon plasma coagulation (APC) is a non-tactile ablative therapy that helps to stop rectal bleeding in patients who have developed actinic proctitis after exposure to radiotherapy. This approach seems to be more effective than medications or surgical procedures. Objective To review the literature to verify the effectiveness of APC in the treatment of patients with actinic proctitis induced by radiation therapies.

Methods A systematic search was conducted on the following databases:

MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, SCIELO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We identified 81 studies, and 5 of them fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results In the articles included, a total of 236 patients were evaluated. Most of them were men (67.7%) with a mean age of 66.6 years. Prostate cancer was the main cause of actinic proctitis (67.3%), and control of the bleeding was achieved in 83.3% of the cases, after a mean of 1.67 session of APC. Moreover, 66 patients had complications with the treatment, and rectal pain was the most referred. Conclusions Argon plasma coagulation is a well-tolerated and effective treatment to control rectal bleeding in patients who underwent radiotherapy, and the number of sessions varies from 1 to 2, according to the case. (AU)