Crescentic glomerulonephritis and dense deposit disease in a woman with breast carcinoma on immunosuppressive chemotherapy

Am J Kidney Dis. 2004 Sep;44(3):e33-7.

Abstract

The authors describe an unusual case of acute renal failure in a 50-year-old woman with a history of breast carcinoma. The breast carcinoma was treated with 4 cycles of chemotherapy. After chemotherapy, she felt fatigued and noticed decreased urine output. Her serum creatinine level had risen from 0.8 to 10.1 mg/dL (71 to 893 micromol/L). Renal biopsy was done that showed a severe crescentic glomerulonephritis secondary to dense deposit disease. This case is extremely unusual in that: (1) Dense deposit disease developed in a 50-year-old woman, whereas it is primarily a disease of children and young adults, and (2) the patient was being treated with immunosuppressive chemotherapy for breast carcinoma when dense deposit disease developed, thus posing a therapeutic dilemma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury / etiology*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Breast Neoplasms / complications
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Female
  • Glomerulonephritis / etiology*
  • Glomerulonephritis / pathology
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents