Colonic Rupture in a Patient on Combination Chemotherapy for Metastasized Carcinoma of the Esophagogastric Junction. Case Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

Background: Cecal perforation due to neutropenic colitis is a known and described side effect of many chemother-apy regimens. We present a case of a patient with gastric adenocarcinoma who developed spontaneous cecal per-foration during chemotherapy without the classic pattern of typhlitis. Case Report: A 58-year-old woman was on chemotherapy for an adenocarcinoma of the gastric junction, when she developed a cecal perforation. There was neither evidence for leucopenia nor for typhlitis. La-parotomy was performed and cecostomy was estab-lished using the perforated bowel. Postoperative course was uneventful. The patient died from tumor progres-sion 8 months after the diagnosis was made. Conclusion: There is no evidence for a connection between this event and chemotherapy treatment but neither can it be ex-cluded. Even if unusual, colon toxicity could be a poten-tial life-threatening complication associated with more drugs than usually thought.

Neutropenic enterocolitis and colonic perforation in a patient with breast carcinoma treated with taxane-based chemotherapy: a case report and review of the literature

“…Its pathogenesis is not fully known. It is most commonly observed after hematologic malignancies such as leukemia and lymphoma; however, it has been reported to be seen in patients with solid tumors treated with new chemotherapeutics and intensive chemotherapy [1,[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10].…”

Fatal <i>Clostridium septicum</i> Infection in a Patient with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Undergoing Multimodal Oncologic Therapy

“…It most frequently affects immuno-compromised patients with hematologic or colonic malignancies who suffer from mucosal damage. Radiation, as well as chemotherapy, may enhance the risk through immunosuppression and induction of mucosal damage [17,18]. Therefore, special awareness of the risk is necessary.…”

Severe Colitis Caused by Hepatic Arterial Infusion Chemotherapy with Cisplatin for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

“…Chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicity is a common complication in patients with cancer (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7). Neutropenic enterocolitis, ischemic colitis, and pseudomembranous colitis are the specific types of colitis that are known complications of chemotherapy (3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). In Japan, a fine-powder formulation of cisplatin is commonly used to administer hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) for transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE)-refractory hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) (9,10).…”