[Digital ischaemia and gemcitabine. Two new cases]

Chemotherapy generates numerous adverse effects, but digital ischemia is usually associated with a paraneoplastic mechanism. In addition to thrombotic microangiopathy or hepatic or pulmonary venoocclusive disease gemcitabine appears to induce this type of complication. This study presents two cases of digital ischemia, which are very likely attributable to gemcitabine. The first case involved a 56-year-old female patient with lymph node metastatic squamous cell carcinoma, for which no primitive tumor could be identified. This carcinoma had been treated at a second stage with gemcitabine at a cumulative dose of 14 390 mg. Search for etiology revealed toxic vascularitis. Response was favourable after interruption of gemcitabine and prescription of a suitable medical treatment. The second case was a 74-year-old male patient with an infiltrating bladder urothelium carcinoma with lymph node metastasis. He had been treated by surgery and chemotherapy (gemcitabine and carboplatine). Gemcitabine-induced arterial thrombosis was diagnosed. Nine other cases of digital ischemia were identified in the literature. This rare adverse effect is probably underestimated. The other reported vascular side-effects are thrombotic microangiopathy, with an estimated occurrence of 1 per 6,000 patients and two cases of veno-occlusive disease. The pathogenic mechanisms have still not been fully elucidated. Precautions before use are necessary, especially in case of associated micro or macroangiopathy.