Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia after trastuzumab and radiation therapy for breast cancer: A case report.

RATIONALE

Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP) is rare and an idiopathic disorder. The disease has been associated with drugs, infection, or irradiation, and its relationship with asthma remains unclear.

PATIENT CONCERNS

We reported a case of a 49-year-old female patient after trastuzumab and radiation therapy for breast cancer. Two months after radiation treatment, the patient complained of productive cough, progressive breathlessness, occasional wheezing, and left pectoralgia.

DIAGNOSES

Computed tomography (CT) scan revealed infiltrates in lungs. Without evidence of infection, marked increased eosinophils in a transbronchial biopsy performed from the left upper lobe confirmed the diagnosis of CEP after trastuzumab and radiation therapy.

INTERVENTIONS

The patient was started with oral prednisone at 0.5 mg/kg/day.

OUTCOMES

A CT scan of the chest obtained 2 weeks after steroid treatment showed diminishment of the lesions, and at the 6-month follow-up, the patient had no complaints of discomfort with no relapse of pulmonary lesions.

LESSONS

Physicians should consider CEP as a diagnosis in patients who have had previous exposure to trastuzumab and radiation therapy, especially with a history of asthma. Timely diagnosis and treatment may benefit these patients.