Reactions 432 - 19 Dec 1992

SAntineoplastics

Digital gangrene in patients with AIDS: case reportRaynaud’s syndrome developed in a 39-year-old man with

AIDS-related Kaposi’s sarcoma 6 months after he hadcompleted 1 year of therapy with weekly or biweeklyvincristine (total dose 24mg). These symptoms persistedduring 4 months of vinblastine monotherapy and progressedto severe hand and toe pain 1 year after the start ofcombination therapy with vincristine, bleomycin (total dose420mg) and doxorubicin (total dose 300mg).

A second man, aged 44 years, with AIDS-related Kaposi’ssarcoma, received vincristine monotherapy every 1-2 weeksfor 3 months. Following this, bleomycin (total dose 210mg)and doxorubicin (total dose 245mg) were added to vincristine(total dose 20mg) therapy, but after 7 months of combinationtreatment severe pain and ischaemia developed in 2 fingers ofthe man’s left hand.

In both patients, ischaemia subsequently progressed togangrene in 2 fingers within a few weeks despite calciumantagonist therapy. Both patients died of AIDS-relatedcomplications ≤ 6 months after gangrene developed.Fertakos RJ, et al. Digital gangrene following chemotherapy for aids-relatedKaposi’s sarcoma. American Journal of Medicine 93: 581-582, Nov 1992 -USA 800169824

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Reactions 19 Dec 1992 No. 4320114-9954/10/0432-0001/$14.95 Adis © 2010 Springer International Publishing AG. All rights reserved