Recurrent hypoglycemia triggered by sorafenib therapy in a patient with hemangiopericytoma

Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2014 Jun;29(2):202-5. doi: 10.3803/EnM.2014.29.2.202. Epub 2014 Jun 26.

Abstract

Targeted therapy has been proven to be one of the most effective cancer treatments. However, some endocrine disorders can occur during treatment with targeted agents. We report the case of a patient who exhibited a wax and wane pattern of hypoglycemia that was attributed to sorafenib therapy. A 32-year-old woman with metastatic hemangiopericytoma visited the emergency department in a stuporous state. Nonhyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia was diagnosed, was exacerbated shortly after sorafenib therapy, and was improved by the cessation of sorafenib with additional glucocorticoid therapy. Patients with metastatic hemangiopericytoma should be carefully monitored with particular attention to hypoglycemia when sorafenib therapy is initiated.

Keywords: Hemangiopericytoma; Hypoglycemia; Sorafenib.