Bilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachments in a patient taking pazopanib: A case report

To report a case of bilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachments (RRD) associated with treatment with the systemic tyrosine kinase inhibitor pazopanib.

A 57-year-old man with history of renal cell carcinoma was treated with pazopanib therapy for four months. He presented to the ophthalmology clinic with bilateral rhegmatogenous retinal detachments, which resolved with pneumatic retinopexy with cryoretinopexy. Both retinas had transient post-operative cystoid macular edema and mild epiretinal membrane formation but remained stably reattached.

This case report provides further evidence of the possibility that tyrosine kinase inhibitors used for cancer treatment could lead to the development of RRD. There were previous reports on the development of unilateral RRD after pazopanib use, but this is the first instance known to the authors of bilateral RRD. The mechanism behind this possible increased risk is unknown, but could be based on interactions between pazopanib and tyrosine kinases known to exist in the vitreous humor.