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
Review
. 2024 Mar 19;24(1):167.
doi: 10.1186/s12872-024-03814-1.

Paclitaxel-induced acute myocardial infarction: a case report and literature review

Affiliations
Review

Paclitaxel-induced acute myocardial infarction: a case report and literature review

Gi Eun Kim et al. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Paclitaxel is a chemotherapeutic agent commonly used for ovarian, lung, breast carcinoma, and Kaposi's sarcoma. Its common side effects include hypersensitivity reaction, bone marrow suppression, and peripheral neuropathy. However, a rare and life-threatening side effect is paclitaxel-induced myocardial infarction.

Case presentation: A 71-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heavy smoking history, previous coronary artery disease with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in left anterior descending artery (LAD), and non-small lung cancer presented with non-ST elevation myocardial infarction during infusion of paclitaxel infusion. Coronary angiogram showed de novo three vessel disease with 70% stenosis in ostial to distal left main artery (LM) and 80% in-stent re-stenosis in proximal to mid left anterior descending artery.

Conclusions: Physicians should be keeping this in mind when dealing with patients on paclitaxel, especially if they have previous risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Keywords: Acute myocardial infarction; Case report; Chemotherapy; Paclitaxel.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Initial electrocardiogram

Similar articles

Cited by

  • Massive Myocardial Calcification.
    Babady M, Maltsinioti C, Limaj E, Bruder O, Karamarkou C. Babady M, et al. JACC Case Rep. 2025 Apr 2;30(7):103384. doi: 10.1016/j.jaccas.2025.103384. JACC Case Rep. 2025. PMID: 40185597 Free PMC article.

References

    1. Costa IBS, da Andrade S, de Carter FT, Seleme D, Costa VB, Campos MS et al. CM,. Challenges and Management of Acute Coronary Syndrome in Cancer Patients. Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine [Internet]. 2021;8:590016. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8219848/. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Farrar MC, Jacobs TF. Paclitaxel [Internet]. PubMed. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK536917/.
    1. Hekmat E. Fatal myocardial infarction potentially Induced by Paclitaxel. Ann Pharmacother. 1996;30(10):1110–2. doi: 10.1177/106002809603001008. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Laher S, Karp SJ. Acute myocardial infarction following paclitaxel administration for ovarian carcinoma. Clin Oncol. 1997;9(2):124–6. doi: 10.1016/S0936-6555(05)80452-2. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Schrader C, Keussen C, Bewig B, Freier A, Lins M. Symptoms and signs of an acute myocardial ischemia caused by chemotherapy with Paclitaxel (Taxol) in a patient with metastatic ovarian carcinoma. PubMed. 2005;10(11):498–501. - PubMed

MeSH terms