Drug-Induced Interstitial Lung Disease in a patient treated with a combination of palbociclib and fulvestrant

Abstract

A 59-year-old patient without a history of pulmonary disease presented with episodes of hemoptysis and acute respiratory failure after being treated for metastatic breast cancer with fulvestrant and palbociclib. The high-resolution chest CT revealed diffuse ground glass opacities and diffuse smooth thickening of the interlobular septa and peribronchovascular interstitium, consistent with drug-induced interstitial lung disease (DIILD). A few days of high-dose steroid treatment increased the patient's PaO2/FiO2 from 75 to 200. Following hospital discharge, the oncologist resumed fulvestrant therapy, with no further adverse events occurring during subsequent follow-up.