[Seven cases of gemcitabine-induced lung injury during treatment for pancreatic or biliary tract cancers].
Gemcitabine is an anti-cancer drug known to be safe and effective for pancreatic or biliary tract cancers, but lung injury is also known to be a rare side effect that sometimes becomes severe. Here we report seven cases of lung injury during gemcitabine treatment. Drug-induced lung injury was suspected in all cases. The male: female ratio was 5:2, and the average patient age was 71. Four had pancreatic cancers and three had biliary tract cancers. Gemcitabine had been administered an average 5.9 times at a dose of 1,141 mg. Patients showed a diffuse or patchy shadow mainly in the lower lung on computed tomography examination. Grades of adverse events were greater than 3 in all cases. Three patients died of the lung injury. Five cases had pulmonary emphysema, 2 had metastatic lung tumor as underlying pulmonary lesions, and these were assumed to have been important risk factors for drug-induced interstitial lung injury during gemcitabine treatment.
Tsumura
Takehiko
T
Dept. of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, Japan.
Matsuo
Hiroo
H
Maruo
Takanori
T
Kawakami
Hisato
H
Hatano
Kiyoaki
K
Saito
Sumio
S
Nishijima
Norihiro
N
Nakatsuji
Masato
M
Ikeda
Atsuyuki
A
Nishikawa
Hiroki
H
Kita
Ryuichi
R
Okabe
Yoshihiro
Y
Kimura
Toru
T
Amitani
Ryoichi
R
Osaki
Yukio
Y
D000368:Aged; D001661:Biliary Tract Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D055370:Lung Injury / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D000093542:Gemcitabine
D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000093542:Gemcitabine