Spontaneous splenic rupture in patient with metastatic melanoma treated with vemurafenib.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Castellani, Elisa; Covarelli, Piero; Boselli, Carlo; Cirocchi, Roberto; Rulli, Antonio; Barberini, Francesco; Caracappa, Daniela; Cini, Carla; Desiderio, Jacopo; Burini, Gloria; Noya, Giuseppe
- Source
- World Journal of Surgical Oncology. 2012, Vol. 10 Issue 1, p155-159. 5p. 1 Color Photograph, 1 Black and White Photograph.
- Subject
- *SPLENIC vein
*ABDOMINAL pain
*SIDE stitch
*ULTRASONIC imaging
*MELANOMA
- Language
- ISSN
- 1477-7819
Background: BRAF inhibitors such as vemurafenib are a new family of biological drugs, recently available to treat metastatic malignant melanoma. Methods: We present the case of a 38-year-old man affected by metastatic melanoma who had been under treatment with vemurafenib for a few days. The patient suffered from sudden onset of abdominal pain due to intra-abdominal hemorrhage with profuse hemoperitoneum. An emergency abdominal sonography confirmed the clinical suspicion of a splenic rupture. Results: The intraoperative finding was hemoperitoneum due to splenic two-step rupture and splenectomy was therefore performed. Histopathology confirmed splenic hematoma and capsule laceration, in the absence of metastasis. Conclusions: This report describes the occurrence of a previously unreported adverse event in a patient with stage IV melanoma receiving vemurafenib. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]