Management of anthracycline extravasation into the pleural space

Doxorubicin Extravasation from a Port-a-cath into Pleural Space in a Young Girl: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Extravasation of chemotherapeutic agents from a peripheral cannula is a known problem, and to prevent that, oncology units use central vein access with indwelling catheters such as port-a-cath or Hickman catheter. The intrapleural extravasation of chemotherapeutic agents is a rare event. We describe a 9-year-old girl with newly diagnosed Ewing's sarcoma of the left upper humerus receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy through a newly inserted port-a-cath device. The patient developed tachypnea and right-sided chest pain on day 2 of chemotherapy. The radiological investigations confirmed the extravasation of doxorubicin into the pleural space. The surgical washout with chest-drain insertion was done, and we continued flushing with normal saline until the drain fluid became clear. She has completed neoadjuvant therapy. This case report shines light into scenarios where extravasation of anthracycline into the pleural cavity or thorax can be managed conservatively and in settings where dexrazoxane is unavailable without causing much delay in restarting the chemotherapy.

Repurposing approved drugs for cancer therapy

BACKGROUND

Many drugs approved for other indications can control the growth of tumor cells and limit adverse events (AE).

DATA SOURCES

Literature searches with keywords 'repurposing and cancer' books, websites: https://clinicaltrials.gov/, for drug structures: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.

AREAS OF AGREEMENT

Introducing approved drugs, such as those developed to treat diabetes (Metformin) or inflammation (Thalidomide), identified to have cytostatic activity, can enhance chemotherapy or even replace more cytotoxic drugs. Also, anti-inflammatory compounds, cytokines and inhibitors of proteolysis can be used to control the side effects of chemo- and immuno-therapies or as second-line treatments for tumors resistant to kinase inhibitors (KI). Drugs specifically developed for cancer therapy, such as interferons (IFN), the tyrosine KI abivertinib TKI (tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor inhibitors, may help control symptoms of Covid-19.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY

Better knowledge of mechanisms of drug activities is essential for repurposing. Chemotherapies induce ER stress and enhance mutation rates and chromosome alterations, leading to resistance that cannot always be related to mutations in the target gene. Metformin, thalidomide and cytokines (IFN, tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-2 (IL-2) and others) have pleiomorphic activities, some of which can enhance tumorigenesis. The small and fragile patient pools available for clinical trials can cloud the data on the usefulness of cotreatments.

GROWING POINTS

Better understanding of drug metabolism and mechanisms should aid in repurposing drugs for primary, adjuvant and adjunct treatments.

AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH

Optimizing drug combinations, reducing cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutics and controlling associated inflammation.

Delayed presentation of doxorubicin extravasation into pleural space: Case report and review of literature

INTRODUCTION

Intrathoracic extravasation of anthracyclines is a dangerous and very rare complication of chemotherapy administration. While management of extravasation into soft tissues has been established, the data on treatment of mediastinal and intrapleural anthracycline extravasation is limited.

CASE REPORT

We present a case of a 52-year-old woman with intrapleural doxorubicin extravasation who presented to the hospital 24-hrs after chemotherapy infusion with chest pain and shortness of breath.

MANAGEMENT & OUTCOME

The patient underwent urgent surgical intervention and received IV dexrazoxane 36-hrs after the event. Her pain improved, but she continued to have chest soreness and pleural effusion at the site of extravasation even 3 months later.

DISCUSSION

We conducted review of literature using Medline/PubMed and Google Scholar databases and identified 7 cases of intrapleural and mediastinal anthracycline extravasation. No data is currently available regarding the outcome of delayed management of intrapleural anthracycline extravasation with dexrazoxane. Prevention and confirmation of adequate port catheter placement is the most important step to avoid such cases. Catheter misplacement should be suspected in any patient presenting with post procedural chest pain and should trigger a thorough evaluation prior to any chemotherapy administration.

Managing chemotherapy extravasation in totally implantable central venous access: Use of subcutaneous wash-out technique

BACKGROUND

Totally implanted venous access is widely used in chemotherapy administration. With over 1 million intravenous chemotherapy infusions given worldwide each day, complications are frequent. Accidental cases of extravasation in the presence of a catheter are rare yet very serious and may require discontinuation of chemotherapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of the subcutaneous wash-out technique for chemotherapy extravasation treatment.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the medical charts of patients who had received chemotherapy and sustained extravasation in our hospital between October 2013 and October 2016. Subcutaneous wash-out treatments were carried out exclusively, without the application of antidotes or the use of specific antidotes.

RESULTS

We documented seven cases of chemotherapy extravasation. Two cases were treated with antidotes and suffered necrosis in the following weeks. The five patients treated using subcutaneous wash-out had no necrosis and had a steady decrease in the inflammatory reaction of the cutaneous and subcutaneous soft tissues. For these five patients, chemotherapy was restarted within 1 month following extravasation.

CONCLUSION

This study would argue for the feasibility and effectiveness of subcutaneous wash-out in the treatment of chemotherapy extravasations.