Pneumothorax during Pemetrexed Treatment in a Patient with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report and Literature Review

Pemetrexed is a multitargeted antifolate that has demonstrated antitumor activity in non-small cell lung cancer. A 70-year-old male presented with a stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. The patient was treated with pemetrexed as third-line chemotherapy. However, a pneumothorax occurred 16 days after...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yoshiro Nakahara, Shinichiro Mikura, Makoto Nagamata, Tomoya Fukui, Jiichiro Sasaki, Noriyuki Masuda
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2017-05-01
Series:Case Reports in Oncology
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Online Access:http://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/471479
Description
Summary:Pemetrexed is a multitargeted antifolate that has demonstrated antitumor activity in non-small cell lung cancer. A 70-year-old male presented with a stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. The patient was treated with pemetrexed as third-line chemotherapy. However, a pneumothorax occurred 16 days after the administration of the second cycle of pemetrexed. The pneumothorax was slight and the patient was observed without undergoing any additional treatment. Twenty-four days after its initial occurrence, the pneumothorax had improved. This is the first case of pneumothorax that has been observed during pemetrexed treatment. Pneumothorax during chemotherapy is rare; however, it is a life-threatening complication and should not be overlooked.
ISSN:1662-6575