Radiation recall gastritis secondary to combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib in pancreatic cancer and response to PPI - a case report

Seong Ji Choi, Hyo Jung Kim, Jae Seon Kim, Young Tae Bak, Jun Suk Kim

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Radiation recall gastritis is rare but can be induced after concurrent chemoradiation for pancreatic cancer. We report a patient with pancreatic cancer who developed radiation-recall gastritis related to a combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib. Case presentation: A 54-year-old female with unresectable pancreatic cancer received gemcitabine in combination with radiation therapy followed by chemotherapy with gemcitabine and erlotinib. After completing 2 cycles of chemotherapy, the patient had epigastric pain, nausea, and vomiting. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed diffuse wall thickening of the stomach, and esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) showed multiple gastric ulcers. The patient was treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and was continued on maintenance chemotherapy. Two months later, the patient presented with the similar symptoms and persistent gastric ulcers were observed during subsequent EGD. Nevertheless, the patient's symptom had resolved with PPI therapy. Thus, the patient underwent maintenance chemotherapy with gemcitabine and erlotinib for additional 4 cycles. Eventually, follow-up abdominal CT Scan and EGD at 6 months demonstrated resolution of the gastric ulcers. Conclusions: Physicians should be aware of the possibility of radiation recall gastritis associated with a combination of gemcitabine and erlotinib. Administration of PPIs may mitigate the adverse effects of gemcitabine and erlotinib in the presence of radiation recall gastritis; however further studies are warranted.

Original languageEnglish
Article number588
JournalBMC Cancer
Volume16
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016 Aug 2
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Erlotinib
  • Gastritis
  • Pancreatic cancer
  • Radiation recall
  • Radiotherapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology
  • Genetics
  • Cancer Research

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