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
. 2014 Dec;5(5-6):232-236.
doi: 10.14740/wjon845w. Epub 2014 Dec 3.

Pemetrexed-Induced Interstitial Pneumonitis: A Case Study and Literature Review

Affiliations
Case Reports

Pemetrexed-Induced Interstitial Pneumonitis: A Case Study and Literature Review

Michael J Waters et al. World J Oncol. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

Pemetrexed is a new-generation antifolate drug, now widely used in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We report a case of pemetrexed-induced interstitial pneumonitis, and review the literature of eight previously reported cases. As pemetrexed is now a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, it is important to be aware of rare adverse events related to its administration.

Keywords: Chemotherapy; Interstitial pneumonitis; Lung toxicity; Non-small cell lung cancer; Pemetrexed; Treatment-related complication.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare they have no conflict of interest in regard to this manuscript. We declare no financial or personal relationships with people or organizations that could inappropriately influence our work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
High-resolution lung computed tomography before pemetrexed administration.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chest X-ray on initial presentation, showing diffuse bilateral reticulonodular opacities in the upper lobes.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Lung computed tomography during acute illness, showing bilateral diffuse interstitial changes and ground-glass opacities.
Figure 4
Figure 4
High-resolution lung computed tomography 1 month post-illness, showing interval resolution of interstitial changes.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Further resolution on computed tomography, 4 months post-illness.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Goldman ID, Zhao R. Molecular, biochemical, and cellular pharmacology of pemetrexed. Semin Oncol. 2002;29(6 Suppl 18):3–17. doi: 10.1016/S0093-7754(02)70040-7. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Shih C, Chen VJ, Gossett LS, Gates SB, MacKellar WC, Habeck LL, Shackelford KA. et al. LY231514, a pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine-based antifolate that inhibits multiple folate-requiring enzymes. Cancer Res. 1997;57(6):1116–1123. - PubMed
    1. Scagliotti GV, Parikh P, von Pawel J, Biesma B, Vansteenkiste J, Manegold C, Serwatowski P. et al. Phase III study comparing cisplatin plus gemcitabine with cisplatin plus pemetrexed in chemotherapy-naive patients with advanced-stage non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2008;26(21):3543–3551. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2007.15.0375. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hanna N, Shepherd FA, Fossella FV, Pereira JR, De Marinis F, von Pawel J, Gatzemeier U. et al. Randomized phase III trial of pemetrexed versus docetaxel in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer previously treated with chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol. 2004;22(9):1589–1597. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2004.08.163. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ciuleanu T, Brodowicz T, Zielinski C, Kim JH, Krzakowski M, Laack E, Wu YL. et al. Maintenance pemetrexed plus best supportive care versus placebo plus best supportive care for non-small-cell lung cancer: a randomised, double-blind, phase 3 study. Lancet. 2009;374(9699):1432–1440. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61497-5. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources