Tracheomediastinal Fistula: Rare Complication of Treatment with Bevacizumab

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Tracheomediastinal fistula is a rare condition caused by multiple etiologies. We present a case of a patient of lung carcinoma receiving chemotherapy. A 63-year-old woman presented to the emergency room with a two-month history of worsening cough and shortness of breath. She was being treated with pemetrexed and bevacizumab for Stage IV non-small cell lung carcinoma. Chest X-ray showed a mass in the lung with mediastinal adenopathy. Computed tomography (CT) scan showed a perforation, confirmed with bronchoscopy. She had a secondary infection and she was started on intravenous antibiotics. The patient decided to continue care in a hospice. We present a rare complication of bevacizumab which has been only reported once in literature. Bevacizumab is known to cause tracheal fistulas when coupled with like invasive procedures. In our case, the patient developed a fistula without any invasive interventions. We advise that physicians using bevacizumab should be aware of the possibility of having such fistulas.

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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