pazopanib and Dyspnea

Pazopanib, an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is associated with improved outcomes in patients with unresectable or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma. Pazopanib may cause cardiotoxicity such as heart failure.. A 50-year-old female patient with no cardiovascular risk factors other than the previous treatment with adriamycin had a baseline left ventricular ejection fraction of 60%. She was receiving pazopanib 800 mg once daily for advanced leiomyosarcoma of the presacral area. On the 60th day of treatment, she presented with fatigue, palpitation, and exertional dyspnea for several days. Echocardiography was performed, and left ventricular ejection fraction was measured as 25%. Pazopanib-induced heart failure was considered and all other possible preliminary diagnoses were excluded.. Pazopanib was stopped immediately. Bisoprolol fumarate 5 mg orally once daily, spironolactone 100 mg orally once daily, furosemide 40 mg orally once daily, and ramipril 2.5 mg orally once daily were started. The patient's symptoms partially improved. Second echocardiography was performed after 15 days, and left ventricular ejection fraction was measured as 35%. But, despite pazopanib was not resumed and cardiac support treatment was administered, she died four weeks after discontinuation of pazopanib due to heart failure.. Pazopanib-induced heart failure may be fatal. Physicians and patients should be aware of the cardiotoxicity risk when managing the use of pazopanib in soft tissue sarcoma.

Topics: Doxorubicin; Dyspnea; Female; Heart Failure; Humans; Indazoles; Middle Aged; Protein Kinase Inhibitors; Pyrimidines; Sarcoma; Stroke Volume; Sulfonamides; Ventricular Function, Left

A 42-year-old woman presented with chest pain and breathlessness with a nodule measuring 2×2 cm in size at the base of the right lung. A bronchoscopic examination did not reveal any malignancy. However, the patient developed difficulty in breathing, enlargement of the nodule, and right pleural effusion 14 days later. A video-assisted thoracic surgical biopsy specimen revealed the presence of pleural synovial sarcoma. The patient was treated with doxorubicin-ifosfamide combination chemotherapy because of metastasis to the pelvis. However, after a transient partial clinical response, there was a relapse of refractory disease. Although treated with pazopanib as second-line chemotherapy, the patient died eight months after the initial presentation.

Topics: Adult; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Chest Pain; Doxorubicin; Dyspnea; Fatal Outcome; Female; Humans; Ifosfamide; Indazoles; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Pleural Effusion, Malignant; Pleural Neoplasms; Pyrimidines; Sarcoma, Synovial; Sulfonamides

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors, represented by sunitinib, sorafenib, axitinib and pazopanib, are emerging molecules harbouring antitumoural efficacy in multiple neoplasia. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman with right thoracic sarcoma who developed fatal heart failure on pazopanib. The patient had no cardiovascular risk factor, except previous exposure to anthracycline, and her cardiac function was normally controlled before initiating the pazopanib. Despite a rapid tumour response, fatigue rapidly appeared, requiring treatment interruption 2 weeks after pazopanib introduction. After clinical improvement, the pazopanib was reintroduced at reduced dose; however, a few days later, our patient was admitted for worsening dyspnoea and fatigue. Pulmonary embolism was excluded as was pleuropericardial effusion. Brain natriuretic peptide was the only laboratory abnormality, and echocardiography revealed acute and severe heart failure. The patient died despite pazopanib arrest and inotropic support.

Topics: Antineoplastic Agents; Dyspnea; Fatal Outcome; Fatigue; Female; Heart Failure; Humans; Indazoles; Middle Aged; Pyrimidines; Sarcoma, Synovial; Sulfonamides; Thoracic Neoplasms