A Case of Paclitaxel Induced Scleroderma in a Patient with Ovarian Cancer

ABSTRACT

Paclitaxel takes effects as an anti-neoplastic agent by interfering with microtubules and then blocking cell growth. It has been used to treat patients with lung, ovarian, breast, head and neck cancer, and advanced forms of Kaposi's sarcoma. Along with its reputation as an effective chemotherapeutic drug, paclitaxel has numerous adverse effects. Among them, cutaneous adverse effects of paclitaxel include pruritis, bullous fixed eruption, onycholysis, and transient erythrodysesthesia. Only several cases of scleroderma-like lesions have been reported throughout the world, and in Korea, only one case of paclitaxel induced scleroderma has been reported in 2006. We report a case of paclitaxel induced scleroderma in an 83-year old woman with ovarian cancer. After administration of paclitaxel and cisplatin, the patient presented with edema in both brachial areas, Raynaud's phenomenon, and sclerotic skin lesions in both extremities.