Gefitinib successfully administered in a lung cancer patient with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis after erlotinib-induced pneumatosis intestinalis

BACKGROUND: Pneumatosis intestinalis (PI) is a rare complication of chemotherapy, characterized by multiple gas accumulations within the bowel wall. CASE PRESENTATION: A 71-year-old woman with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation-positive lung adenocarcinoma was admitted to our hospital because of reduced consciousness. She was diagnosed as having leptomeningeal carcinomatosis (LM) using lumbar puncture. Because she could not swallow a tablet, erlotinib was administered via a feeding tube. Her state of consciousness gradually improved, but she experienced diarrhea several times a day. After 3 weeks of erlotinib therapy, PI occurred. Erlotinib was discontinued and PI was resolved after treatment with conservative therapies. Erlotinib was re-administrated and PI occurred again. After improvement of erlotinib-induced PI, gefitinib was administered by a feeding tube and the patient did not experience PI or diarrhea. The patient survived 8 months from the diagnosis of LM. CONCLUSION: PI is one of the side effects of erlotinib, and consecutive therapies are useful for the treatment of PI. In this patient, gefitinib was successfully administered after erlotinib-induced PI.