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Amer et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2018;4:34 Journal of Cancer
DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2018.09 Metastasis and Treatment

Case Report Open Access

Necrotizing fasciitis as a complication of taxanes: a

case report

Nasser Mohammed Amer, Rabia Niaz

Department of General Surgery, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Al Khobar
34445, Saudi Arabia.

Correspondence to: Dr. Nasser Mohammed Amer, Department of General Surgery, King Fahad Hospital of the University, Imam
Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Al Khobar 34445, Saudi Arabia. E-mail: Nasser@nasseramer.com

How to cite this article: Amer NM, Niaz R. Necrotizing fasciitis as a complication of taxanes: a case report. J Cancer Metastasis
Treat 2018;4:34. http://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2018.09

Received: 5 Feb 2018 First Decision: 26 Mar 2018 Revised: 28 Mar 2018 Accepted: 6 Jun 2018 Published: 17 Jul 2018
Science Editor: Lucio Miele Copy Editor: Jun-Yao Li Production Editor: Cai-Hong Wang

Abstract
Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare complication of chemotherapy, however, few reports were published as a specific
complication of taxanes. We are reporting this rare complication of a lady who was treated with taxanes as an adjuvant
therapy for her breast cancer who was referred to us from the medical department and turned out to be necrotizing
fasciitis in her right thigh. We are also presenting the literature review of this type of complication.

Keywords: Necrotizing fasciitis, breast cancer, taxanes, docetaxel, complication of chemotherapy

INTRODUCTION
Necrotizing fasciitis is a rare complication of chemotherapy. It is characterized by necrosis of the soft tissue
subcutaneous fat and fascia. Necrotizing fasciitis secondary to taxanes alone is very rare, and only 7 cases have
been reported by the WHO adverse drug reactions . Taxanes, however, as a chemotherapy, has been used
[1]
as an adjuvant treatment in combination with other chemotherapy like fluorouracil and cyclophosphamide
with reduction of the risk of recurrence by 25% and death by 17%. Many complications have been reported
from the minor nausea, vomiting, alopecia, neuropathy to the development of secondary malignancy.
Depression of the immune system is one of the most worrying side effects where patients become prone to
develop all spectrums of infections, including necrotizing fasciitis as in our case. We are presenting this case
in order to highlight the presence of this complication despite its rarity.

© The Author(s) 2018. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use,
sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as long
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