Introduction:

Knowledge of the toxicity of anticancer drugs is crucial in the management of the cancer patient. We present a review of the medical bibliography regarding paclitaxel-induced pneumonitis in order to analyze the available diagnostic options, therapeutic possibilities and the prognosis of these patients

Methods:

A computerized search of Medline, PubMed, and Web of knowledge was carried out. The following keywords were searched within the title: “taxane,” “paclitaxel” and “pneumonitis.” Patients were classified as survivors or dead. A descriptive and comparative analysis was performed

Results:

A total of 51 clinical cases of patients who developed paclitaxel-induced pneumonitis were obtained. The neoplasms treated in order of frequency were: breast (35%), lung (25%), gastric (21.5%), pancreas (10%) and lymphoma (4%). The time since the last dose of paclitaxel received and diagnosis of pneumonitis was documented in 57% of cases, with an average latency of 208 ± 174 h. The need for invasive mechanical ventilation and therapy with intravenous corticoid bolus were associated with variable mortality of the patients (p < 0.05)

Conclusions:

Paclitaxel-induced pneumonitis is a potentially serious entity. It is necessary to deepen the development of diagnostic and therapeutic protocols that improve the prognosis in severe cases.