Successful capecitabine rechallenge following 5-fluorouracil-induced takotsubo syndrome

Abstract

Cardiac toxicity is a widely reported complication of fluoropyrimidine chemotherapies (5-fluorouracil and capecitabine); however, Takotsubo syndrome (TS) is less widely reported. There is little data available describing the viability of fluoropyrimidine rechallenge after fluoropyrimidine-induced TS. We report the case of Ms X, a 41-year-old woman with metastatic oesophageal cancer, who developed acute onset left ventricular dysfunction, with a measured left ventricular ejection fraction of 15% on cycle 1 day 3 of FOLFOX chemotherapy, after disconnection of the fluorouracil infusion pump. Her symptoms resolved over 2 days, and an echocardiogram returned to normal within 2 weeks. 5-Fluorouracil was discontinued, and replaced with capecitabine, without recurrence of symptoms. The remainder of her treatment was uneventful. This is the second case to describe successful capecitabine retreatment following 5-fluorouracil-induced TS.