Steroid-Resistant Docetaxel-Induced Pneumonitis With Air Leak Syndrome: A Rare but Fatal Complication.
Loading...
Authors
Turral, Innes
Kundu, Rupak
Issue Date
2026-01-19
Type
Case Reports
Journal Article
Journal Article
Language
en
Keywords
air leak syndrome , cytotoxic lung injury , docetaxel-induced pneumonitis , oligometastatic prostate cancer , steroid-resistant pneumonitis
Alternative Title
Abstract
Docetaxel, a taxane commonly used in the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, can occasionally cause pulmonary toxicity, most often presenting as interstitial pneumonitis. Although most patients respond favourably to corticosteroid therapy, a small subset develops a rapidly progressive, steroid-resistant pneumonitis characterised by diffuse alveolar damage, air leak syndromes, and high mortality. This report describes the case of a 74-year-old man with oligometastatic prostate adenocarcinoma who developed such a severe, steroid-refractory pneumonitis after his fifth cycle of docetaxel. Despite prompt drug withdrawal, escalation to high-dose intravenous methylprednisolone, and intensive supportive care, his respiratory status worsened. He subsequently developed pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and surgical emphysema. Extensive investigations ruled out alternative causes of respiratory deterioration such as infection, heart failure, vasculitis, and pulmonary embolism. This fatal case illustrates the rare but devastating cytotoxic form of docetaxel-induced lung injury and emphasises the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion, initiating early diagnostic evaluation, and considering adjunctive immunomodulatory treatment strategies when corticosteroids fail.
Description
© Copyright 2026
Turral et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation
Turral, I and Kundu, R. (2026) 'Steroid-Resistant Docetaxel-Induced Pneumonitis With Air Leak Syndrome: A Rare but Fatal Complication', Cureus 18(1) e101849. Available At: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.101849
Publisher
Springer Nature
License
Copyright © 2026, Turral et al.
Journal
Cureus
Volume
18
Issue
1
PubMed ID
ISSN
2168-8184