Case Report: Bilateral Pneumothoraces due to Targeted Tumor Therapy with Regorafenib in a Young Woman with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancer types, frequently metastasizing into the lungs. Treatment options have been vastly improved over the last years. With the increasing use of targeted therapies, novel and rare adverse effects can be seen. Case Presentation: A 43-year-old woman presented in our oncology department with chest pain and dyspnea. The patient was diagnosed with colorectal cancer seven years earlier and had received chemoradiation, surgery, and multiple chemotherapies before she was started on regorafenib because of progressive pulmonary metastases. Computed tomography scans demonstrated cavitation of former nodular bilateral pulmonary metastases. After drainage and resolution of the right-sided pneumothorax, the patient returned eleven days later with recurrent symptoms caused by left-sided tension pneumothorax. Video-assisted thoracoscopy and bilateral pleurodeses were performed. Persistent air leaks with severe pain and pulmonary infiltrates led to the death of the patient. Conclusions: This case demonstrates the efficacy of oral antiangiogenetic therapy in advanced metastatic colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, it also depicts an important potential side effect by transforming multiple solid lung metastases into cavitations which led to recurrent pneumothoraces. Special attention should be paid to this phenomenon as treatment of these complications can be challenging.

最后的硅晶体管

现代微处理器是世界上最复杂的系统之一,但其核心是一个非常简单而优美的器件——晶体管。如今的微处理器中有数十亿个近乎完全相同的晶体管。因此,提高晶体管的性能和密度是促使微处理器及受其驱动的计算机更高效工作的最直接的办法。