Erythroderma: An unusual manifestation of imatinib - A rare case report.

Imatinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that selectively inhibits several protein tyrosine kinases which is central to the pathogenesis of human cancer. It forms the first-line treatment for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Usually, the drug is well-tolerated with relatively few side effects. Adverse effects most commonly associated with imatinib include mild-to-moderate edema, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, muscle cramps, and cutaneous reactions. Other side effects such as the elevation of hepatic transaminase and myelosuppression occur less frequently and resolve with interruption of imatinib therapy. Skin rash is one of the most common adverse effects of imatinib incidence of which range from 7% to 88.9%. Exfoliative dermatitis, i.e., erythroderma has been very rarely reported with this drug. We here report a rare case of erythroderma in a patient with CML on imatinib 400 mg/day therapy within 3 months of starting the treatment.

Methotrexate-Induced Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis: A Rare Case Report and Review of Literature.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common malignancy in pediatric patients, and it is characterized by the presence of malignant lymphoblasts within the bone marrow and peripheral blood. The treatment of ALL involves induction, consolidation, reinduction, and maintenance therapy. Consolidation therapy in ALL-Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster 90 protocol involves the use of high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX, 5 g/m2) over 24 h as continuous infusion. The adverse effects due to HDMTX include renal dysfunction in 2%-12% patients, which can lead to increased systemic MTX exposure, leading to further myelosuppression, mucositis, hepatotoxicity, skin toxicity, and, in severe cases, multiorgan failure. Dermatologic toxicity due to MTX includes morbilliform drug rash, photoreactivation, photoenhancement, and skin hyperpigmentation. Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare and possibly fatal reaction which can occur with MTX. Here, we describe a patient with B-cell ALL who developed TEN after administration of HDMTX.

Rare occurrence of hand-foot syndrome due to paclitaxel: A rare case report.

Hand-foot syndrome (HFS) is a relatively frequent adverse reaction to certain anticancer drugs. HFS is a type of dermatitis which has been most commonly described with 5-fluorouracil and capecitabine. However, HFS with paclitaxel is rare and has been reported sparingly in the literature. A 52-year-old male patient with recurrent carcinoma of the buccal mucosa was started on palliative chemotherapy regimen, injection paclitaxel (175 mg/m2) in combination with injection carboplatin. On post-chemotherapy day 13, the patient started developing pain, dysesthesia followed by bullae formation, and desquamation over palms and soles. Clinically, the patient had Grade 3 HFS characterized by symmetrical, tender skin lesions over the dorsal aspect of palms, and soles with desquamation necessitating interruption of treatment. Therefore, this case has been presented to be cognizant with this rare form of side effect with one of the most commonly used drug in oncology.

Tamoxifen Induced Pancreatitis: An Unusual Complication of Commonly used Drug.

Tamoxifen is a selective oestrogen receptor modulator used for the treatment of oestrogen/progesterone receptor positive breast cancer. It possess antagonistic or agonistic activity depending on the tissue location i.e., antagonistic action on breast but agonist action on endometrium and bones. The side effects of tamoxifen include hot flushes, gynaecologic symptoms (vaginal dryness, vaginal discharge), depression, forgetfulness, sleep alterations, weight gain, alteration of lipoprotein metabolism, thromboembolic disorder. Tamoxifen, like oestrogens, increases the plasma level of triglycerides and liver secretion of Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL). Moreover, it inhibits the key enzymes of triglyceride metabolism. However, there are few cases of severe tamoxifen induced hypertriglyceridemia and pancreatitis. Hypertriglyceridemia is one of the risk factor for acute pancreatitis. Here we present a case of tamoxifen-induced hypertriglyceridemia and acute pancreatitis in a 50-year-old female without any comorbidity. She was treated with supportive antibiotics and supportive therapy. About one week after discharge, patient was started on letrozole 2.5 mg once a day. Clinicians must be aware of this rare side effect of tamoxifen, so baseline and periodic testing of triglyceride level must be done to avoid such complications.