Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2017 Aug 30:2017:bcr2017221068.
doi: 10.1136/bcr-2017-221068.

Gemcitabine-induced chronic systemic capillary leak syndrome

Ravneet Bajwa  1 , Jason Starr  1 , Karen Daily  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Gemcitabine-induced chronic systemic capillary leak syndrome

Ravneet Bajwa et al. BMJ Case Rep. .

Abstract

A 56-year-old woman presented with anasarca, hypoalbuminaemia and hypotension following cycle 3 day 1 of adjuvant gemcitabine for stage II pancreatic cancer. Due to the temporal nature of presentation, suspicion for gemcitabine-induced capillary leak syndrome was included in the differential diagnosis. Vascular endothelial growth factor levels were elevated at 707 pg/mL (reference range: 9-86 pg/mL). Corticosteroids were initiated, resulting in complete resolution of symptoms and hypotension. The patient suffered relapse of symptoms on discontinuation of steroids, further supporting chronic capillary leak syndrome.

Keywords: contraindications and precautions; pancreatic cancer; unwanted effects / adverse reactions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Duron L, Delestre F, Amoura Z, et al. . Idiopathic and secondary capillary leak syndromes: a systematic review of the literature. Rev Med Interne 2015;36:386–94. 10.1016/j.revmed.2014.11.005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Lesterhuis WJ, Rennings AJ, Leenders WP, et al. . Vascular endothelial growth factor in systemic capillary leak syndrome. Am J Med 2009;122:e5–e7. 10.1016/j.amjmed.2009.01.020 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Xie Z, Ghosh CC, Patel R, et al. . Vascular endothelial hyperpermeability induces the clinical symptoms of Clarkson disease (the systemic capillary leak syndrome). Blood 2012;119:4321–32. 10.1182/blood-2011-08-375816 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Druey KM, Greipp PR. Narrative review: the systemic capillary leak syndrome. Ann Intern Med 2010;153:90–8. 10.7326/0003-4819-153-2-201007200-00005 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Biswas S, Nik S, Corrie PG. Severe gemcitabine-induced capillary-leak syndrome mimicking cardiac failure in a patient with advanced pancreatic cancer and high-risk cardiovascular disease. Clin Oncol 2004;16:577–9. 10.1016/j.clon.2004.06.019 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms