[A case of pneumatosis intestinalis associated with sunitinib treatment for renal cell carcinoma]

Korean J Gastroenterol. 2013 Jun;61(6):347-50. doi: 10.4166/kjg.2013.61.6.347.
[Article in Korean]

Abstract

Sunitinib as a multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor is one of the anti-tumor agents, approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration to use treat gastrointestinal stromal tumor and metastatic renal cell carcinoma. The agent is known to commonly induce adverse reactions such as fatigue, nausea, diarrhea, stomatitis, esophagitis, hypertension, skin toxicity, reduciton in cardiac output of left ventricle, and hypothyroidism. However, it has been reported to rarely induce adverse reactions such as nephrotic syndrome and irreversible reduction in renal functions, and cases of intestinal perforation or pneumatosis interstinalis as such reactions have been consistently reported. In this report, a 66-year old man showing abdominal pain had renal cell carcinoma and history of sunitinib at a dosage of 50 mg/day on a 4-weeks-on, 2-weeks-off schedule. Seven days after the third cycle he was referred to the hospital because of abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed pneumoperitoneum with linear pneumatosis intestinalis in his small bowel. The patient underwent surgical exploration that confirmed the pneumatosis intestinalis at 100 cm distal to Treitz's ligament. We report a rare case of intestinal perforation with pneumatosis intestinalis after administration of sunitinib to a patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / drug therapy*
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Humans
  • Indoles / adverse effects
  • Indoles / therapeutic use*
  • Intestinal Perforation / diagnosis*
  • Intestinal Perforation / etiology
  • Intestinal Perforation / surgery
  • Kidney Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung / diagnostic imaging
  • Male
  • Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis / diagnosis*
  • Pneumatosis Cystoides Intestinalis / etiology
  • Positron-Emission Tomography
  • Pyrroles / adverse effects
  • Pyrroles / therapeutic use*
  • Sunitinib
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Indoles
  • Pyrroles
  • Sunitinib