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Exudative pleural effusion during sunitinib treatment
Deepansh Gupta1, Prakash Sivaramakrishnan1, Avishek Layek1
1Pulmonary Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.
BMJ Case Reports
|June 17, 2024
Summary
Drug-induced pleural effusion is a rare cause of fluid buildup in the lungs. This case highlights sunitinib as a potential cause, with effusion resolving after drug discontinuation.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pulmonology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Drug-induced pleural effusion is an uncommon cause of exudative pleural effusion.
- Early diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion.
Observation:
- A patient with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor on sunitinib presented with mild right-sided pleural effusion.
- Diagnostic thoracentesis revealed a monomorphic exudate, negative for malignancy.
- CT scan showed an enlarged lymph node with reactive hyperplasia; infective workup was negative.
Findings:
- Sunitinib was identified as the likely cause of the pleural effusion after excluding other common etiologies.
- Withholding sunitinib led to the resolution of the pleural effusion within three weeks.
Implications:
- This case underscores the importance of considering drug toxicity, specifically sunitinib, in patients with unexplained exudative pleural effusion.
- Clinicians should maintain a high suspicion for drug-induced pleural effusion in patients on targeted therapies.
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