Cancer Res Treat.  2013 Mar;45(1):74-77.

Interstitial Pneumonitis after Treatment with Pemetrexed for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

• Kim KH
• Song SY
• Lim KH
• Han SS
• Kim SH
• Cho JH
• Park CW
• Lee S
• Lee HY

Abstract

Pemetrexed is approved as a first-line treatment for advanced non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with cisplatin and as a single agent for second-line treatment or for patients who show no disease progression after four cycles of platinum-based doublet induction chemotherapy as maintenance therapy. Pemetrexed has a modest toxicity profile and has not traditionally been regarded as a cause of interstitial pneumonitis. Here, we report on a rare case of pemetrexed-induced pneumonitis in a patient with NSCLC.

Keyword

Interstitial lung diseases; Pemetrexed; Non-small-cell lung carcinoma; Adenocarcinoma; Drug therapy

MeSH Terms

Adenocarcinoma
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung
Cisplatin
Disease Progression
Glutamates
Guanine
Humans
Induction Chemotherapy
Lung Diseases, Interstitial
Pneumonia
Pemetrexed
Cisplatin
Glutamates
Guanine

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Chest computed tomography at presentation of interstitial pneumonitis (A) and after clinical improvement (B).

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  Fig. 2 (A) Microscopic examination of the lung specimen revealed distorted lung architecture with interstitial fibrosis and focal honeycomb changes (H&E staining, ×40). (B) The alveoli spaces were filled with luminal mucoid secretions with inflammatory cells. Chronic interstitial inflammation with interstitial fibroblastic activity was also observed (H&E staining, ×200).

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