Fulminating septic shock from Clostridium perfringens in an early breast cancer patient with severe myalgia after docetaxel treatment.
Anaerobic bacteraemia could be a life-threatening condition in neutropenic patients receiving chemotherapy. Taxane therapy is associated with necrotising inflammation of the caecum (named also typhlitis) that could be a potential source for bacteraemia. We report the case of a sudden onset of septic shock by Clostridium perfringens in a young patient treated with docetaxel as adjuvant chemotherapy for early breast cancer. A mini-review of the literature has been performed.
Department of Oncology and.
Alessandro Marco
AM
Minisini
Department of Oncology and.
Jessica
J
Menis
Department of Oncology and.
Alessandro
A
Follador
Department of Pathology, University and General Hospital of Udine, Italy.
Claudio
C
Avellini
Department of Oncology and.
Gianpiero
G
Fasola
breast cancer; docetaxel; neutropenia; septic shock