Drug-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis Research Articles

Acute hypoxic respiratory failure due to Lenalidomide-induced interstitial pneumonitis in a patient with multiple myeloma

BackgroundPatients with multiple myeloma are immunosuppressed due to both the disease itself and immunosuppressive therapies. Thus, when presenting with respiratory failure and pulmonary opacities, pneumonia must be considered. However, while rare, immunomodulating medications used in the treatment of multiple myeloma can also cause potentially life-threatening respiratory failure, a distinction which has important treatment implications.Case presentationAn 80-year-old male with recently diagnosed multiple myeloma undergoing treatment with lenalidomide and daratumumab presented with acute, rapidly progressive hypoxic respiratory failure ultimately requiring intubation and mechanical ventilatory support. Imaging revealed bilateral pulmonary opacities, however infectious workup was negative, and he was ultimately diagnosed with lenalidomide-induced interstitial pneumonitis, a rare but serious adverse effect of this medication. He was treated with drug discontinuation and methylprednisolone, and quickly recovered.ConclusionLenalidomide is an immunomodulating medication used in the treatment of multiple myeloma, and is associated with rare but serious cases of drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis. Thus, if a patient receiving lenalidomide develops shortness of breath and/or hypoxia, drug-induced pneumonitis must be on the differential. Permanent drug discontinuation with or without corticosteroids is the mainstay of treatment, and patients are often able to fully recover, underscoring the need for early recognition of this condition.

Drug-induced pneumonitis risk in diffuse large B-cell/follicular lymphoma patients treated with R-CHOP-like regimen is associated with the use of granulocyte colony-stimulating growth factors.

Rituximab-based combinations are the standard of care in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma (FL). Despite being on market for over 20 years, some of the adverse effects associated with the use of rituximab are not well known. Drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis (DIP) is a potentially fatal complication of the treatment. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSF) are supportive agents commonly used to prevent neutropenic infections. G-CSF are reported to have pulmonary toxicity, but the risk of DIP is greater when used in combination with other potentially pulmotoxic agents. In this retrospective study, we reported the G-CSF use and risk of DIP in 234 DLBCL patients and 87 FL patients receiving R-CHOP-type immunochemotherapy. In 72% of patients, the treatment included a G-CSF support. The overall incidence of treatment-induced pneumonitis was 6.9% in this patient group. All the DIP cases (n = 16) were among patients receiving G-CSF support (p = 0.03). Older age (over 60 years) and higher disease stage (Ann Arbor 3-4) also increased the risk of DIP. These findings suggest that the use of G-CSF increases the risk of DIP, when used in combination with rituximab-containing regimen.

Drug-Induced Interstitial Pneumonitis in a Case of Breast Malignancy

Drugs used in the treatment of diseases including malignancy are known to cause various lung injuries, including interstitial pneumonitis. With increasing incidence of malignancies and advent of newer and newer chemotherapy and immunological treatments, it is prudent on the part of the pulmonologist to identify such complications at the earliest so that appropriate treatment can be initiated and reduce morbidity and mortality due to such causes. Herewith is presented a case of a patient with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast who developed interstitial pneumonitis after 2 weeks of treatment with docetaxel and trastuzumab and was managed successfully.

Desvenlafaxine-Induced Interstitial Pneumonitis: A Case Report.

A 52-year-old man developed interstitial pneumonitis during treatment with desvenlafaxine for major depressive disorder. The man received desvenlafaxine at 50 mg for symptoms of depression 4 years earlier. Six months after a dose increase to 100 mg, he developed bronchitic symptoms with mild, persistent dyspnea. Investigations revealed a restrictive pattern on pulmonary function testing, bilateral upper lobe reticular opacities with traction bronchiectasis on radiology imaging, and end-stage interstitial fibrosis with honeycomb changes consistent with chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis on open lung biopsy. He was diagnosed with drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis. Desvenlafaxine was discontinued and the patient received prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil. The patient had subsequent stability in the progression of his pulmonary disease after 1 month. After 1 year of drug discontinuation and treatment, his disease process remained, but without major progression. A Naranjo assessment score of 4 was obtained, indicating a possible relationship between the patient’s adverse drug reaction and his use of the suspect drug.

ブシラミンによる薬剤性間質性肺炎の 1 例

ブシラミンによる薬剤性間質性肺炎の 1 例

Interstitial pneumonitis from treatment with gemcitabine.

The use of gemcitabine may lead to numerous adverse effects ranging from mild to very severe, such as interstitial pneumonitis. The diagnosis of this complication is based on multiple laboratory findings, radiographic evidence, and high clinical suspicion. Presented is a case report of a patient who met these criteria and had onset consistent with drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis. A 76-year-old White female was treated with gemcitabine for pancreatic cancer. Two months after the initiation of therapy, she was admitted to the hospital for worsening dyspnea and cough. High clinical suspicion, bilateral interstitial opacities on chest x-ray, worsening pulmonary status, and onset 2 months after initiation of therapy led to the diagnosis of gemcitabine-induced interstitial pneumonitis. Steroid therapy with prednisone was initiated, and the patient's clinical symptoms and radiographic findings improved. Gemcitabine-induced interstitial pneumonitis is well described in the literature. It is a rare but serious complication associated with gemcitabine therapy in which patients present with worsening dyspnea. Most patients only require supportive care and discontinuation of the drug for treatment, but in severe cases supplemental oxygen and steroid therapy must be used before resolution of symptoms. It is important to obtain an accurate medication history to evaluate for other potentially pulmonary toxic medications. Radiographic findings such as bilateral infiltrates should be completely resolved after therapy. Radiographic findings, clinical symptoms, and clinical suspicion can lead to early recognition of interstitial pneumonitis from gemcitabine. Physician awareness of this adverse effect and early recognition are keys to providing prompt treatment in resolving symptoms and decreasing mortality.

Chlorambucil-Induced Acute Interstitial Pneumonitis

Chlorambucil is an alkylating agent commonly used in treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). We report a case of interstitial pneumonitis developing in an 83-year-old man 1.5 months after completing a six-month course of chlorambucil for CLL. The interstitial pneumonitis responded to therapy with prednisone. We performed a systematic review of literature and identified 13 other case reports of chlorambucil-induced pulmonary toxicity, particularly interstitial pneumonitis. No unifying risk factor could be discerned and the mechanism of injury remains unknown. In contrast, major randomized trials of chlorambucil therapy in CLL have not reported interstitial pneumonitis as an adverse effect, which may be due to the rarity of the phenomenon or due to underreporting of events occurring after completion of treatment. Clinicians should consider drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis in the differential diagnosis of a suggestive syndrome developing even after discontinuation of chlorambucil.

A case of drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis caused by valproic Acid for the treatment of seizure disorders.

Valproic acid is one of the most common antiepileptic drugs used for the treatment of several seizure disorders. A 20-year-old man presented with a sudden decline of consciousness. He had a neurosurgery operation for intracranial and intraventricular hemorrhage. Following surgery, antiepileptic medication was administered to the patient in order to control his seizure events. On valproic acid treatment, he began to complain of fever and dyspnea. His symptoms persisted despite receiving empirical antibiotic treatment. All diagnostic tests for infectious causes were negative. A high-resolution computed tomography scan of the chest revealed predominantly dependent consolidation and ground-glass opacities in both lower lobes. The primary differential was drug associated with interstitial lung disease. Therefore, we discontinued valproic acid treatment and began methylprednisolone treatment. His symptoms and radiologic findings had significantly improved after receiving steroid therapy. We propose that clinicians should be made aware of the potential for valproic acid to induce lung injury.

Fatal Interstitial Pneumonitis Rapidly Developed after the First Cycle of CHOP with Etoposide Combination Chemotherapy in a Patient with Lymphoma

Several chemotherapeutic agents are known to develop pulmonary toxicities in cancer patients, although the frequency of incidence varies. Cyclophosphamide is a commonly encountered agent that is toxic to the lung. Additionally, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) being used for the recovery from neutropenia can exacerbate lung injury. However, most of the patients reported previously that the drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis were developed after three to four cycles of chemotherapy. Hereby, we report a case of peripheral T cell lymphoma which rapidly developed a fatal interstitial pneumonitis after the first cycle of combined chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, prednisolone, and etoposide and the patient had also treated with G-CSF during neutropenic period.

A Case of Drug-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis by Everolimus-eluting Coronary Stent

A Case of Drug-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis by Everolimus-eluting Coronary Stent

Drug-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis due to Low-dose Lenalidomide

Lenalidomide is a second-generation immunomodulatory drug that has been approved to treat relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. Here, we describe a patient who was treated with a low dose of lenalidomide (5 mg/day on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle) because the standard dose of bortezomib was too toxic and adverse events persisted. However, he developed fever, dyspnea, hypoxia and pulmonary infiltrates. The results of an extensive workup for other causes including infections were negative and the final diagnosis was lenalidomide-induced interstitial pneumonitis. This is the first case report of lenalidomide-induced pneumonitis in a Japanese patient.

Epoprostenol-associated pneumonitis: Diagnostic use of a T-cell proliferation assay

We describe a case of severe drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis in a woman with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension receiving epoprostenol confirmed by a drug T-cell proliferation assay. Proliferation assays were completed in our patient and in a healthy control. Isolated T cells were incubated with CD3-depleted peripheral blood mononuclear cells and then stimulated to proliferate with (3)H-thymidine in the presence of epoprostenol, other prostanoid analogs, and controls. A significant (p < 0.001) T-cell proliferation response occurred in our patient in the presence of epoprostenol alone. There was a trend towards an increased T-cell response to treprostinil but this was statistically insignificant. There was no significant T-cell response to the diluent alone, normal saline, iloprost, or alprostadil. There was no significant proliferation to any drug in the healthy control. Hence, a drug T-cell proliferation assay confirmed that epoprostenol can rarely incite a profound inflammatory response in the pulmonary interstitium.

Severe Pulmonary Adverse Effects in Lymphoma Patients Treated with Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone (CHOP) Regimen Plus Rituximab

Background/AimsThe aim of our study was to determine the incidence and clinical features of severe pulmonary complications in patients receiving cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) or rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP) as the initial treatment for lymphoma.MethodsA retrospective analysis of pulmonary infection and drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis (DIIP) was performed using lymphoma registry data. R-CHOP was administered in 71 patients and CHOP in 29 patients.ResultsThe severe pulmonary adverse events tended to occur more frequently with R-CHOP (18.3%) than CHOP alone (13.8%), although the difference was not significant (p = 0.771). DIIP occurred in five patients in the R-CHOP arm (7%) and in one in the CHOP arm (3%). The continuous use of steroids for conditions other than lymphoma significantly increased the risk of pulmonary infection including Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (p = 0.036) in the multivariate analysis. International prognostic index, tumor stage, smoking, previous tuberculosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lymphoma involvement of lung parenchyma were not related to pulmonary adverse events. Patients who experienced severe pulmonary events showed shorter survival when compared to those without complications (p = 0.002).ConclusionsOur experiences with serial cases with DIIP during chemotherapy and the correlation of continuous steroid use with pulmonary infection suggest that the incidence of pulmonary complications might be high during lymphoma treatment, and careful monitoring should be performed.

An Atypical Case of Fulminant Interstitial Pneumonitis Induced by Carbamazepine

Carbamazepine is a therapeutic anticonvulsant, used to manage pain. We often use it to treat trigeminal and post-herpes zoster neuralgias. Interstitial pneumonitis (IP) is a known adverse consequence of using carbamazepine, with bronchiolitis obliterans and organizing pneumonitis. (BOOP) drug-induced IP as typical examples. Here we described a patient with post-herpes zoster neuralgia, who suffered from drug-induced acute IP that differed from cases typically induced by carbamazepine.

Gemcitabine Pulmonary Toxicity in Ovarian Cancer

A case of gemcitabine-induced lung toxicity is reported in a woman with stage IIIc ovarian papillary serous carcinoma. An 83-year-old woman with stage IIIc ovarian serous papillary carcinoma diagnosed in 2001 underwent suboptimal cytoreductive surgery followed by carboplatin-paclitaxel chemotherapy. Initially in remission following chemotherapy, the disease subsequently progressed over the next 5 years. The patient received gemcitabine palliative chemotherapy. She developed significant pulmonary toxicity consistent with drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis, which improved with steroid therapy. Gemcitabine, a second-line chemotherapy agent for the treatment of ovarian cancer, may rarely cause a serious or even fatal condition of pulmonary lung toxicity.

A Case of Drug-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis Caused by Metformin

A Case of Drug-induced Interstitial Pneumonitis Caused by Metformin

Reversible drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis following imatinib mesylate therapy

Reversible drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis following imatinib mesylate therapy

Induction of interstitial pneumonitis during interferon treatment for chronic hepatitis C

A 48-year-old woman developed interstitial pneumonitis while receiving interferon treatment for chronic hepatitis C. Laboratory studies prior to treatment showed elevated serum alanine aminotransferase levels, but chest X-rays and physical examination revealed no abnormalities suggestive of interstitial pneumonitis. At the 9th week of interferon treatment (total dose, 380 MU of recombinant interferon-alpha, without other medications), the patient began to complain of cough and exertional dyspnea. A chest X-ray film revealed diffuse reticulo-nodular shadows in bilateral lung fields, suggesting a diagnosis of interstitial pneumonitis. A marked increase in lymphocyte count was observed in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and a diagnosis of interstitial pneumonitis was made as a result of transbronchial lung biopsy. Her clinical symptoms and abnormal lung shadows were reversible, improving within a month of the discontinuation of interferon, and disappearing promptly after exogenous corticosteroid was instituted. This may be the first case of drug-induced interstitial pneumonitis occurring during the course of treatment with interferon alone. We should be aware of the possibility of interstitial pneumonitis developing during treatment of chronic hepatitis C with interferon.