Vanishing bile duct syndrome associated with pazopanib after progression on pembrolizumab

Can J Urol. 2020 Aug;27(4):10339-10341.

Abstract

Pazopanib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has been a standard first-line treatment for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Recent trials combining pazopanib with programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitors, including pembrolizumab, have shown excessive hepatotoxicity. We report a case of fatal hepatotoxicity from vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS) associated with pazopanib treatment, in a patient previously exposed to pembrolizumab. This is the first report of pazopanib-induced VBDS. We postulate whether prior exposure to pembrolizumab predisposed towards pazopanib-induction of VBDS, and discuss potential risks of sequential PD-1 inhibitor followed by pazopanib in mRCC, due to prolonged half-lives of PD-1 inhibitors.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological / therapeutic use*
  • Bile Duct Diseases / chemically induced*
  • Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / drug therapy*
  • Carcinoma, Renal Cell / secondary
  • Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / etiology*
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Humans
  • Indazoles / adverse effects*
  • Indazoles / therapeutic use
  • Kidney Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Male
  • Pyrimidines / adverse effects*
  • Pyrimidines / therapeutic use
  • Sulfonamides / adverse effects*
  • Sulfonamides / therapeutic use
  • Syndrome

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Immunological
  • Indazoles
  • Pyrimidines
  • Sulfonamides
  • pazopanib
  • pembrolizumab