Published 2023-05-10
Keywords
- organizing pneumonia, myelodysplastic syndrome, azacitidine
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2023 Kelly Ann Hutchinson, Carole-Ann Hébert, Ajay Rajaram, Pierre-Olivier Fiset, Kevin Schwartzman
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Organizing pneumonia (OP) is a lung pathology mainly affecting distal lung structures. Its etiology is often unknown, in which case it is termed cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP). Of those cases of OP with an identified cause, the usual culprits include infections, medications, and radiation therapy. In this report, we present the case of a 73-year-old female on azacitidine –a pyrimidine analogue– used for treatment of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). The patient presented with fever, productive cough, and pleuritic chest pain. A CT of the chest, a bronchoalveolar lavage and a transthoracic biopsy were performed, and findings were consistent with OP, thought to be induced by azacitidine. The patient was treated with prednisone and subsequently showed significant improvement. Although rare, this case underlines the importance of considering OP in the context of non-resolving pulmonary infiltrates, particularly when there is a potentially relevant exposure, such as azacitidine.
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