Pneumocystis pneumonia during Postoperative Adjuvant Chemotherapy for Breast Cancer

Abstract

A 72-year-old woman underwent a mastectomy with one-stage breast reconstruction using silicone implant for right breast cancer. Postoperatively, she had received adjuvant chemotherapy with fluorouracil, epirubicin, and cyclophosphamide (FEC regimen). She was admitted for febrile neutropenia after the third course of chemotherapy. She remained febrile for a week, and she complained of dyspnea on hospital day 8. Computed tomography scan demonstrated widespread patchy ground glass changes in both lungs and serum (1 → 3)- β -D-glucan was elevated to 20 pg/mL. Oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was started on the strong clinical suspicion of PCP, and the patient subsequently made a rapid recovery from fever and dyspnea.