Acute aortic dissection in a patient receiving gemcitabine and cisplatin

Am J Ther. 2014 Jan-Feb;21(1):e21-5. doi: 10.1097/MJT.0b013e31824ea61a.

Abstract

Acute aortic dissection is often a fatal condition with in-hospital mortality rates of 27%. The incidence of acute aortic dissection is low at around 3 cases per 100,000 person-years. There is a strong relationship between hypertension and aortic dissection. 72% of patients in the International Registry of Acute Aortic Dissection had a history of hypertension. The inciting event is an intimal tear extending into the media with resultant dissection of blood along the laminar planes of the media. Cisplatin, a commonly used platinum-based chemotherapy drug, is associated with the development of hypertension on long-term follow up studies. This knowledge should prompt clinicians to screen for the development of hypertension and to be aware of its potential complications in patients treated with cisplatin-containing chemotherapy. Despite the known vascular complications of chemotherapy, there is a paucity of data on the association of aortic dissection with active cancer or chemotherapy. We present an unusual case of an extensive, acute aortic dissection in a relatively young male patient receiving gemcitabine and cisplatin for advanced metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / complications
  • Adenocarcinoma / drug therapy
  • Adult
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / adverse effects*
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / therapeutic use
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Aorta / diagnostic imaging
  • Aorta / pathology
  • Aortic Aneurysm / chemically induced*
  • Aortic Aneurysm / pathology
  • Aortic Dissection / chemically induced*
  • Aortic Dissection / pathology
  • Capecitabine
  • Cisplatin / adverse effects*
  • Cisplatin / therapeutic use
  • Deoxycytidine / adverse effects
  • Deoxycytidine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Deoxycytidine / therapeutic use
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Fluorouracil / analogs & derivatives
  • Fluorouracil / therapeutic use
  • Gemcitabine
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mediastinum / pathology
  • Neoplasm Metastasis
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / complications
  • Pancreatic Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Pleural Effusion / pathology
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed
  • Ultrasonography

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Deoxycytidine
  • Capecitabine
  • Cisplatin
  • Fluorouracil
  • Gemcitabine