title: Pleural effusion and pulmonary injury as an unusual complication to chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
abstract: We report the appearance of pleural effusion, or pulmonary failure after chemotherapy, followed by tumor reduction, in a small number of patients. Five hundred and fifty-four patients with lung cancer have undergone chemotherapy at our Institute during the last ten years. Three patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with locally advanced disease, exhibited an unusual consequence following cytotoxic drug treatment. Two patients with NSCLC had pleural effusion which improved within 2-3 weeks, together with tumor reduction, which allowed the continuation of treatment. One patient had pulmonary failure with pleural effusion and recovered within two weeks. Two of the three patients had positive cytology for cancer cells in the fluid. All three patients achieved partial remission with no repetition of the complication. The patients' recovery, response to treatment and the tumor reduction suggest that this complication was not due to disease progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Second Division of Medicine, Hippokration Hospital, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Stathopoulos
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Dourakis
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Perdicaris
authors.forename: I E
authors.initials: IE
authors.lastname: Promponas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000139:chemically induced*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000139:chemically induced*