Fatal chemotherapy associated Clostridium difficile infection--a case report

Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea or Pseudomembranous colitis occasionally occurs without prior antibiotic usage. While the association of chemotherapy and Clostridium difficile infection has previously been well recorded, the true incidence is unknown. We report a case of Clostridium difficile associated diarrhoea after chemotherapy for lung cancer. The fatal outcome in this case and the increasing use of chemotherapy in this country highlights the need to have a high index of suspicion in any case of unexplained diarrhoea post chemotherapy. A review of the literature is presented.