Persistent corneal epithelial defect associated with erlotinib treatment.

Cornea

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science New Jersey Medical School, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.

Published: July 2009

Purpose: To report a case of persistent corneal epithelial erosion in a patient undergoing treatment with erlotinib for her lung cancer.

Methods: Report of a 79-year-old woman who presented with a persistent corneal epithelial defect associated with infectious keratitis that waxed and waned for 5 months despite treatment. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer and was being treated with erlotinib, a reversible epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor.

Results: The keratitis required a biopsy to establish the diagnosis of Staphylococcus epidermidis keratitis. The infectious keratitis was successfully treated; however, her pain and the epithelial defect persisted. She discontinued the erlotinib treatment. Within 2 weeks, the abrasion healed and had no recurrence.

Conclusions: This report is, to our knowledge, the first description of a nonhealing corneal erosion and infectious keratitis possibly associated with erlotinib toxicity. EGFR is expressed in basal epithelial cells across the cornea and limbal basal cells; it is considered imperative for corneal epithelial cell proliferation and wound healing. Erlotinib is mediated through inhibition of EGFR, which is a highly promising area in molecularly targeted chemotherapies. It will become increasingly important for ophthalmologists to recognize and treat side effects of chemotherapies interfering with the epithelial growth factor pathway.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/ICO.0b013e31818fdbc6DOI Listing

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