Tuberc Respir Dis.  2009 Aug;67(2):145-147.

A Case of Anaphylaxis after the Treatment with Etoposide in a Patient with Small Cell Lung Cancer

• Kim YI
• Kim KS
• Han ER
• Kwan YS
• Oh IJ
• Lim SC
• Kim YC

Abstract

Etoposide is a semi-synthetic derivative of podophyllotoxin that is effective against many cancers including small cell lung cancer. We report a case of etoposide-induced anaphylaxis in a 51-year-old woman who tolerated etoposide during her first cycle chemotherapy regimen. During the second cycle, she complained of generalized urticaria and dyspnea 5 minutes after being infused with etoposide. She recovered completely with antihistamine, corticosteroid and fluid replacement. The intradermal skin test with etoposide showed a clear positive immediate reaction. This case suggests that etoposide can induce IgE-mediated anaphylaxis.

Keyword

Etoposide; Anaphylaxis; Small cell lung carcinoma; Skin tests

MeSH Terms

Anaphylaxis
Dyspnea
Etoposide
Female
Humans
Middle Aged
Podophyllotoxin
Skin Tests
Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
Urticaria
Etoposide
Podophyllotoxin

Figure

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  Figure 1 Intradermal skin tests with etoposide, cisplatin on the back of our case showed positive reactions at the concentrations of 1:100 and 1:10 of etoposide. The results of intradermal skin tests with cisplatin were all negative.

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