Management of Malignant Chylothorax with Subcutaneous Octreotide Treatment

Abstract

There are currently limited published case reports and clinical studies looking at octreotide as a potential therapeutic agent for treating surgery- and malignancy-related chylothorax in adult patients. Few case reports have shown that low-dose subcutaneous octreotide can be used to treat malignant chylothorax. We report the case of a 57-year-old high-grade follicular lymphoma patient with malignant chylothorax which responded rapidly and was successfully treated with octreotide. Significant improvements were noted in her dyspnea, abdominal distention and pain, and chylous output. This case also highlights the importance of understanding the pharmacotherapeutic effects of octreotide when managing malignant chylothorax as it may help to benefit patients by improving symptoms, quality of life, and length of hospital stay. Further prospective studies are warranted to further evaluate the role of octreotide in the management of malignant chylothorax.

Keywords: Cancer; chylothorax; malignancy; non-hodgkin lymphoma; octreotide.