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
. 2021 Jun 13;9(7):e00802.
doi: 10.1002/rcr2.802. eCollection 2021 Jul.

Docetaxel-induced interstitial lung disease among patients with breast cancer: a case series and review of literature

Sanjeewa Malinda Hettiarachchi  1 , Dilanka Thilakaratne  1 , Dawpadee Dharmasena  1 , Amila Rathnapala  2 , Prasad Abeysinghe  3 , Eshanth Perera  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Docetaxel-induced interstitial lung disease among patients with breast cancer: a case series and review of literature

Sanjeewa Malinda Hettiarachchi et al. Respirol Case Rep. .

Abstract

Taxane-induced pneumotoxicity is rare. However, 1-5% of patients taking docetaxel may develop severe pneumotoxicity. This has been limited to case reports in the literature. We report seven breast cancer patients who developed docetaxel-induced diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD) of an organizing pneumonia pattern on high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). The patients presented with progressive breathlessness within four weeks of the final dose. All had an organizing pneumonia pattern on their HRCTs, without other evidence of infection. Restrictive lung disease with low carbon monoxide diffusing capacity (DLCO) was noted, with desaturation on a 6-min walk test (6MWT). They were started on prednisolone. Repeated HRCT after four to eight weeks from the commencement of steroid treatment showed marked improvement. The clinical and functional improvement were also significant. One patient succumbed to the illness as a result of severe lung involvement. Docetaxel-induced DPLD is a fatal adverse effect, which can be managed by the cessation of the drug and starting on steroids in adequate doses.

Keywords: Diffuse parenchymal lung disease; docetaxel; organizing pneumonia; pneumotoxicity; taxane.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The high‐resolution computed tomography (HRCT) on presentation and after treatment with systemic steroids.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kenmotsu H, and Tanigawara Y. 2015. Pharmacokinetics, dynamics and toxicity of docetaxel: why the Japanese dose differs from the Western dose. Cancer Sci. 106(5):497–504. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Herbst RS, and Khuri FR. 2003. Mode of action of docetaxel – a basis for combination with novel anticancer agents. Cancer Treat. Rev. 29(5):407–415. - PubMed
    1. Ostoros G, Pretz A, Fillinger J, et al. 2006. Fatal pulmonary fibrosis induced by paclitaxel: a case report and review of the literature. Int. J. Gynecol. Cancer 16(Suppl. 1):391–393. - PubMed
    1. Chen Y‐M, Shih J‐F, Perng R‐P, et al. 2006. A randomized trial of different docetaxel schedules in non‐small cell lung cancer patients who failed previous platinum‐based chemotherapy. Chest 129(4):1031–1038. - PubMed
    1. Harvey V, Mouridsen H, Semiglazov V, et al. 2006. Phase III trial comparing three doses of docetaxel for second‐line treatment of advanced breast cancer. J. Clin. Oncol. 24(31):4963–4970. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources