Ribociclib-induced pulmonary infiltrates in a patient with breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. One of the treatment choices used in hormone receptor positive and HER2 expression negative metastatic breast cancer is cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK) inhibitors. There are differences between the effects and adverse events of all CDK4/6 inhibitors. In this report, we describe a 48-year-old female patient with breast cancer who developed pulmonary infiltrates secondary to drug in the second year of follow-up with Ribociclib therapy.

The patient who used ribociclib for metastatic breast cancer was admitted to hospital for routine controls. The patient, in the eighth month of ribociclib treatment, had no active complaints. In the patient's imaging, pulmonary infiltrates were detected in the lower lobe of the right lung.

The drug was continued in the patient who was asymptomatic and had no infectious signs. Pneumonitis, interstitial lung disease, tuberculosis, COVID-19 and other viral agents were excluded in the patient. A minimal increase in pulmonary infiltrates was observed in the follow-up. However, the patient who does not have any complaints is currently continuing ribociclib at 600 mg/day.

The pulmonary infiltrates that developed in the patient increased with continued use of ribociclib, suggesting that this was due to ribociclib. The Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale also indicates probable relationship.