Aspergillosis Superinfection as a Cause of Death of Crizotinib-Induced Interstitial Lung Disease Successfully Treated with High-Dose Corticosteroid Therapy

We report a female non-small cell lung cancer patient who developed ILD after a few days of crizotinib therapy. She showed a significant improvement after a high dose of pulse corticosteroid therapy, both radiologically and clinically. Unfortunately, the patient subsequently developed an aspergillosis superinfection leading to death. Our experience suggests that high-dose steroid therapy may be efficacious in the management of a severe complication of crizotinib therapy. However, potent antifungal therapy should be considered to prevent the risk of severe aspergillosis.Case Rep Oncol 2015;8:169-173

Source: Case Reports in Oncology - March 18, 2015 Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research