Reactions 1477, p18-19 - 9 Nov 2013

SGefitinib

Rashes: case reportA 58-year-old man developed rashes while receiving

gefitinib.The man presented with a cough and lower extremity pain,

and was diagnosed with primary non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) with multiple bone metastases. After chemotherapywith cisplatin and gemcitabine, disease progression wasconfirmed with multiple pulmonary metastasis and brainmetastasis. He started oral gefitinib 250mg once daily. After3 weeks, his cough and pain, as well as his metastatic lesions,had improved. At this time, he had multiple and scatteredacneiform eruptions with mild itching in his orofacial and chestregion. On the 36th day, he had severe skin rashes appearingextensively. The diffuse painful erythema and oedema on hisupper extremity were so serious that they affected his dailyactivities. The manifestations of the rash were diverse,including erythema, acneiform rash, pustular rash and localcrusting, with some sites showing lichenoid changes.Gefitinib-induced skin injury was suspected.

Gefitinib was withdrawn, and the man received combinedtherapies, including loratadine and ethacridine. After 1 week,his symptoms were significantly relieved, and his rashessubsided gradually. After 1 month, the rashes disappeared,with no obvious pigmentation, and only a little crustingscattered on his limbs. However, a chest CT showedenlargement of his metastatic lesions.

The man restarted gefitinib 250mg once daily. After1 month, he had a little acneiform rash scattered on the side ofhis nose with a mild itch, but no rashes on his body orextremities. His metastatic lesions diminished.

Author comment: "[W]e reported a case with NSCLC, whosuffered severe dermatologic [adverse effects] related withgefitinib".Li Y-Q, et al. A severe dermatologic adverse effect related with gefitinib: casereport and review of the literature. Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics 9(Suppl. 2): S110-S113, No. 5, Sep 2013. Available from: URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0973-1482.119123 - China 803095572

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Reactions 9 Nov 2013 No. 14770114-9954/13/1477-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2013 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved