Herpetic esophagitis following bendamustine-containing regimen

A 76-year-old Japanese woman presented to our hospital with anorexia. Two years before, she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and had received ten cycles of systemic chemotherapy. After salvage chemotherapy with bendamustine and rituximab (B-R), bone marrow suppression had lasted >3 months. Esophagogastroscopy revealed polynesic white protrusions in the mid-esophagus. These lesions were diagnosed as herpetic esophagitis. To the best of our knowledge, there is no other report in which herpetic esophagitis has been documented as an adverse event of B-R regimen. Because the complication could cause symptomatic gastrointestinal discomfort, physicians should be aware of this disease.