Erythema Multiforme after Radiotherapy with 5-fluorouracil Chemotherapy in a Rectal Cancer Patient
Year: 2012
Type: article
Study design: Case Report
Abstract: Erythema multiforme (EM) is commonly induced by drugs, such as anticonvulsants, antibiotics, and allopurinol.Other potential triggers include herpes virus infection, Mycoplasma pneumonia, malignancy, connective tissue diseases, and radiotherapy.There have been rare reports of EM induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with or without radiotherapy [1][2][3] .We report a case of a rare skin reaction after chemotherapy with 5-FU and radiotherapy in a patient with rectal cancer.The condition was diagnosed as EM secondary to the interaction of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.A 54-year-old man presented with pruritic, erythematous targetoid papules, and confluent macules on the buttocks, dorsum of the hands, and the ears for 5 days.Six months earlier, the patient had undergone surgery for stage T3N2M0 rectal cancer and had received postoperative concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy with 5-FU.The patient was administered chemotherapy with intravenous 5-FU 750 mg/day for 4 days in 1 month, and six cycles of chemotherapy at 1-month intervals were planned.After the third chemotherapy cycle, radiotherapy was added with 180 cGy/day for 28 days to give a cumulative dose of 5,040 cGy.However, skin lesions developed at the end of the twenty-sixth radiotherapy session, after
Source: Annals of Dermatology
Institution: Chonnam National University
Language: English
Subfield: Dermatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W2004244166