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Colitis induced by Lenvatinib in a patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma

Abstract

Lenvatinib is a standard molecular targeted agent for the first-line treatment of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. Here, we report a case of colitis induced by Lenvatinib treatment in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma. A 78-year-old man previously treated with Lenvatinib for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma was admitted to our hospital complaining of right lateral abdominal pain without diarrhea. Our endoscopic findings showed multiple ulcers and erosions on his ascending colon, and he was diagnosed with colitis induced by Lenvatinib treatment. After the discontinuation of Lenvatinib, his colitis improved, and he resumed Lenvatinib at a lower dose. Colitis is a rare adverse event of Lenvatinib, and this is the first detailed report of colitis induced by Lenvatinib with endoscopic findings.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Melissa Crawford, PhD, from Edanz Group (https://en-author-services.edanzgroup.com/) for editing a draft of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Kunihiro Tsuji.

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Saori Miyajima, Kunihiro Tsuji, Yosuke Kito, Naohiro Yoshida, Kazuhiro Matsunaga, Shigetsugu Tsuji, Kazuyoshi Katayanagi, Miwa Yonezawa, Anna Kubo, Kahori Ushijima Hiroshi Minato and Hisashi Doyama declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures followed have been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments.

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Informed consent was obtained from the patient for being included in the study.

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Miyajima, S., Tsuji, K., Kito, Y. et al. Colitis induced by Lenvatinib in a patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Clin J Gastroenterol 14, 187–192 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-020-01249-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12328-020-01249-7

Keywords

  • Lenvatinib
  • Colitis
  • Hepatocellular carcinoma
  • Multikinase inhibitor