Cutaneous lupus erythematosus after treatment with paclitaxel and bevacizumab for metastatic breast cancer: a case report

INTRODUCTION: The monoclonal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibody bevacizumab is increasingly used in the treatment of several malignant tumors. The usual side effects of this drug are hypertension and proteinuria. Paclitaxel is widely used in the treatment of breast cancer and head and neck carcinomas. Neither of these two drugs typically causes skin disorders. Paclitaxel-related cutaneous lupus erythematosus has been described before, but in earlier cases patients had a history of autoimmune disease. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 65-year-old Caucasian woman who presented with cutaneous lupus erythematosus after receiving paclitaxel-bevacizumab combination treatment as first-line therapy for metastatic breast cancer. Her cutaneous symptoms and increased serum anti-SSA and anti-SSB antibodies disappeared shortly after the discontinuation of therapy. CONCLUSION: We conclude that cutaneous lupus erythematosus can also be seen in patients without earlier anamnesis of autoimmune disorders and that, furthermore, bevacizumab might cause atypical cutaneous side effects.