Erlotinib-associated near-fatal interstitial pneumonitis in a patient with relapsed lung adenocarcinoma

Erlotinib (Tarceva) is a human epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor used for treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after failure of at least one prior chemotherapy regimen. Interstitial lung disease, associated with gefitinib (Iressa) use, has been reported in approximately 1% of patients worldwide. However, the adverse pulmonary effects of erlotinib remain poorly documented. Reviewed English language publications in MEDLINE and PubMed suggest that this report is to be the first case report in English of a histologically-confirmed case of near-fatal interstitial pneumonitis with acute lung injury, associated with erlotinib, in East Asian patients. Physicians are hereby encouraged to promptly evaluate new or worsening pulmonary symptoms so that they can detect early radiographic signs of pulmonary toxicity in patients on erlotinib. If toxicity is confirmed, erlotinib should be discontinued and the patient treated appropriately. The case presented suggests that the outcome of erlotinib-associated pulmonary toxicity with acute respiratory failure may be favorable with adequate early management.