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Case Reports
. 2019 Feb 25;8(3):114-117.
doi: 10.1007/s13691-019-00366-6. eCollection 2019 Jul.

Simultaneous chylous ascites and chylothorax during ramucirumab plus docetaxel chemotherapy in a patient with non-small lung cell cancer

Makoto Arai  1 , Susumu Maruta  1 , Meng Meng Fan  1 , Chiaki Imai  2 , Akinobu Tawada  1 , Yuichi Takiguchi  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Simultaneous chylous ascites and chylothorax during ramucirumab plus docetaxel chemotherapy in a patient with non-small lung cell cancer

Makoto Arai et al. Int Cancer Conf J. .

Abstract

A 69-year-old woman was diagnosed as having non-small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, T1aN3M1b). She had no history of surgery or abdominal trauma. She was treated with ramucirumab (10 mg/kg) plus docetaxel (60 mg/m2) intravenously (RAM + DTX) every 3 weeks. Although an enhanced CT examination showed a partial tumor response after eight courses of RAM + DTX, she gradually began to experience abdominal fullness with severe peripheral pitching edema. Her body weight increased by 18 kg in 2 months and RAM + DTX chemotherapy was discontinued. An enhanced CT examination showed a large amount of ascites and pleural effusion, with no obstructions of the central vein or lymphatic ducts. The ascites were white and milky in appearance and contained 527 mg/dL of triglyceride. In addition, her pleural effusion was also white and milky in appearance. No further increases in ascites and pleural effusion were observed thereafter. Four months after her last RAM + DTX chemotherapy, she continued to exhibit a partial response and no increases in ascites or pleural effusion were present. The chylous effusion might have been caused by the RAM + DTX chemotherapy.

Keywords: Chylothorax; Chylous ascites; Docetaxel; Ramucirumab.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestThere is no competing interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Enhanced CT obtained a 1 month before admission, b at the time of admission, and c 2 months after admission
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Appearance of ascites
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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