Cavitatory lung disease in thoracic transplant recipients receiving sirolimus

Abstract

Sirolimus is a potent immunosuppressant agent that has utility in solid-organ transplantation (SOT), particularly for its renal-sparing effects. However, lung toxicity can be a significant issue and a variety of different lung injury patterns have been described. We report an unrecognized association of sirolimus with lung cavitation in patients who have undergone cardiothoracic transplantation. Between 1996 and 2010, lung and heart transplant patients received sirolimus-based immunosuppression as a second-line agent after initial therapy with calcineurin inhibitors. All cases of sirolimus-induced lung cavities were recorded and a retrospective review of the case notes of these patients was undertaken. A total of 9 patients were identified. Clinical symptoms, time to first cavity and mean levels were variable. Some patients showed complete resolution, whereas others had persistent cavitatory lung lesions. Patients who developed persistent lung cavities had a worse outcome than those who did not have cavitation.