[Interstitial pneumopathy caused by melphalan].

The Authors have described a case of interstitial pneumonia due to 1-phenyl alanine (Melphalan). This case report, where a diagnosis of myeloma of the lung was excluded, was characterised by contact with a single cytotoxic agent in low doses and a short delay before the appearance of the pneumopathy. The different cytotoxic substances capable of inducing such pulmonary lesions are recalled as well as the mechanisms responsible for the phenomenon. The Authors compare their observations to the 5 well documented cases in the literature and suggest that hypersensitivity may have been a contributory factor in their case.