Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis after pemetrexed, and recurrence after re-introduction
Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. 2008 Aug 9. [Epub ahead of print] [Link]
Bracke A, Van Marck E, Lambert J.
University Hospital Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a rare cutaneous reaction, which in most cases, is related to medication. Pemetrexed is an antifolate drug, approved for treatment of metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). We present a case of AGEP caused by pemetrexed, and a recurrence of this eruption after re-introduction of pemetrexed despite use of corticosteroids.
August 14, 2008
- malignancy; a group of diseases typified by abnormal, generally out-of-control, cell growth.
- the basic unit of which all living things are made. Cells replace themselves by splitting and forming new cells (mitosis). The processes that control the formation of new cells and the death of old cells are disrupted in cancer.
- a tumor derived from mesothelial tissue, such as the peritoneum (lining the abdomen) or pleura (lining the lungs). More on mesothelioma.
- chemotheraputic agent that interferes with a crucial process that allows cancer cells to reproduce and spread. Specifically, pemetrexed stops the production of three enzymes that are required to feed the cancer cell. Often used in combination with cisplatin. Marketed under the name ALIMTA. See: Alimta.
- cancer that has come back after treatment. Local recurrence is when the cancer comes back at the same place as the original cancer. Regional recurrence is when the cancer appears in the lymph nodes near the first site. Distant recurrence is when it appears in organs or tissues (such as the lungs, liver, bone marrow, or brain) farther from the original site than the regional lymph nodes. Metastasis means that the disease has recurred at a distant site.