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Updated: Jul 8, 2025
An Ex Vivo Tissue Culture Model for Fibrovascular Complications in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Published on: January 25, 2019
Pan fibroblast growth factor receptor inhibitor associated retinopathy
Arianna Paris1,2, Bahram Bodaghi1, Sara Touhami1
1Department of Ophthalmology, Pitié-Salpêtrière University Hospital, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France.
Purpose:
To report a case of Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor inhibitor (FGFRi) associated retinopathy in a patient treated with Erdafitinib.
Case Report:
A patient with a history of non-muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma treated with Erdafitinib developed symptomatic unifocal bilateral serous retinal detachments (SRD) eight weeks after starting this new treatment. Six months after discontinuing the drug, the SRDs resolved and visual acuity recovered to baseline. However, hyper and hypo auto fluorescent lesions were still visible on fundus autofluorescence, suggesting a still ongoing retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) impairment.
Conclusions:
Cancer treatments using FGFRi are showing promising results but their ocular toxicity is not well reported nor fully understood. Oncologists should be aware of the potential risks associated with FGFRi and involve ophthalmologists for the follow-up of their patients. The toxicity of FGFRi seems to resolve after drug continuation, but a certain degree of infra clinical RPE impairment may persist. Longer term follow-ups are warranted to further understand the effects of FGFRi on the RPE.
Insights
Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor inhibitors (FGFRi), like Erdafitinib, can cause retinopathy. While ocular toxicity may resolve after stopping the drug, retinal pigment epithelium impairment may persist.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor inhibitors (FGFRi) represent a promising class of targeted cancer therapies.
- Ocular toxicity associated with FGFRi is not fully understood, necessitating further investigation.
Observation:
- A patient undergoing Erdafitinib treatment for urothelial carcinoma developed bilateral serous retinal detachments (SRD).
- Symptoms emerged eight weeks post-treatment initiation and resolved six months after drug discontinuation.
Findings:
- Fundus autofluorescence revealed persistent hyper and hypo-fluorescent lesions, indicating ongoing retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) impairment despite SRD resolution.
- Visual acuity returned to baseline, but subclinical RPE changes suggest potential long-term effects.
Implications:
- Oncologists and ophthalmologists must collaborate for vigilant patient monitoring during FGFRi therapy.
- Awareness of potential FGFRi-induced retinopathy is crucial for managing cancer patients.
- Long-term follow-up studies are essential to fully elucidate the ocular effects of FGFRi on the RPE.
