Abstract
We report a case of fatal interstitial pneumonia in a patient treated with radiotherapy plus cetuximab for head and neck carcinoma. The patient was an 86-year-old man with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (T2N0M0). Cetuximab was given in combination with radiotherapy; however, the patient developed dyspnea on day 30 and computed tomography findings confirmed a diagnosis of interstitial pneumonia. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation was immediately started in conjunction with steroid pulse and endotoxin adsorption therapy. This led to temporary relief of symptoms. However, a subsequent relapse was resistant to steroid pulse therapy, and the patient died from interstitial pneumonia on day 47.
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Acknowledgments
The authors sincerely thank Drs. Daisuke Ugamura, Koichiro Nozaki, Hiroshi Moro, and Hiroshi Kagamu (Division of Internal Medicine (II), Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital).
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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Matsuyama, H., Asakawa, K., Shinbori, K. et al. A case of fatal interstitial pneumonia during treatment of radiotherapy plus cetuximab for patient with head and neck carcinoma. Int Canc Conf J 4, 162–166 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13691-014-0191-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13691-014-0191-5