trimethoprim--sulfamethoxazole-drug-combination and Kidney-Neoplasms

A 76-year-old female with advanced renal cell carcinoma had been treated with everolimus for 3 months. She visited our hospital because of a cough and fever lasting a few days. Chest X-rays showed bilateral infiltrative shadows, and a chest computed tomography scan showed homogeneous ground-glass opacities with mosaic patterns, especially in the apical region. The laboratory results revealed a decreased white blood cell count with lymphocytopenia and high levels of lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein and KL-6. Pneumonitis was suspected and, therefore, everolimus therapy was interrupted. At that time, the pneumonitis was thought to be drug-induced interstitial lung disease. However, it was not possible to rule out pneumocystis pneumonia, because the patient was immunocompromised and the computed tomography findings suggested the possibility of pneumocystis pneumonia. The pneumonitis progressed rapidly and the patient developed respiratory failure, so we performed bronchoalveolar lavage to make a definitive diagnosis, and simultaneously started treatment with prednisolone and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole to cover both interstitial lung disease and pneumocystis pneumonia. A polymerase chain reaction assay of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was positive for Pneumocystis carinii DNA, and the serum level of β-d-glucan was significantly elevated. Thus, the patient was diagnosed with pneumocystis pneumonia, which was cured by the treatment. Interstitial lung disease is a major adverse drug reaction associated with everolimus, and interstitial lung disease is the first condition suspected when a patient presents with pneumonitis during everolimus therapy. Pneumocystis pneumonia associated with everolimus therapy is rare, but our experience suggests that pneumocystis pneumonia should be considered as a differential diagnosis when pneumonitis is encountered in patients receiving everolimus therapy.

Topics: Aged; Anti-Infective Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Bronchoalveolar Lavage; Carcinoma, Renal Cell; Diagnosis, Differential; Drug Administration Schedule; Everolimus; Female; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Immunosuppressive Agents; Kidney Neoplasms; Lung Diseases, Interstitial; Pneumocystis carinii; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Respiratory Insufficiency; Sirolimus; Treatment Outcome; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP) can be caused by numerous drugs. When this condition develops, platelet destruction results from binding of antibodies to normal platelets only in the presence of a sensitizing drug. A recently proposed model suggests that these drug-dependent antibodies are derived from a pool of naturally occurring antibodies with weak affinity for specific epitopes on certain platelet membrane glycoproteins. We describe here a case of DITP secondary to cotrimoxazole exposure in the immediate posttransplantation phase in a renal transplant recipient. Apart from heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, DITP posttransplantation has to the best of our knowledge never been described, perhaps because of its immune-mediated origin. Our case demonstrates that DITP can occur posttransplantation, that cotrimoxazole due to its intensive use in the transplanted population is one of the most likely causative agents and that a timely recognition and treatment might have important consequences for both graft and patient.

Topics: Adult; Humans; Kidney Neoplasms; Male; Thrombocytopenia; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the kidney rarely found in the pediatric population. We report the case of a 16-year-old boy with fever, microscopic hematuria, and an enlarging cystic renal mass on ultrasonography. The patient had no evidence of renal stones and no known risk factors, other than a recent tattoo performed with unsterile equipment. Because the differential diagnoses included Wilms tumor, he underwent open exploration and nephrectomy. The histopathologic findings were consistent with xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis, and cultures grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The etiology was believed to be bacterial seeding from the unsterile tattoo.

Topics: Adolescent; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteremia; Combined Modality Therapy; Diagnosis, Differential; Fever; Hematuria; Humans; Kidney Neoplasms; Male; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Nephrectomy; Pyelonephritis, Xanthogranulomatous; Staphylococcal Infections; Tattooing; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Ultrasonography; Wound Infection