CMV reactivation caused by methylprednisolone therapy for ARDS after esophagectomy

BACKGROUND: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is endemic worldwide. Although CMV reactivation often becomes a serious problem in immunocompromised patients, the prevalence of CMV reactivation caused by methylprednisolone therapy for ARDS after esophagectomy has yet to be determined. METHOD: Among 175 consecutive patients with thoracic squamous cell esophageal cancer who underwent esophagectomy with extensive lymph node dissection at Akita University Hospital between 2007 and 2010, 11 patients (6.3 %) diagnosed with ARDS during the acute phase of esophagectomy were enrolled and treated with steroid pulse therapy, high-dose (15–20 mg/kg/day) administration and tapering in this retrospective study. RESULTS: Seven of the 11 patients (63.6 %) were diagnosed with CMV reactivation based on CMV antigenemia assayed 19.1 days after the start of methylprednisolone administration and were treated with ganciclovir for 39.6 days. Six of the 7 patients (85.7 %) diagnosed with CMV reactivation were administered a total methylprednisolone dose of more than 4,000 mg. Though there was no significant difference between patients with and without CMV reactivation, there was a tendency that patients with CMV reactivation showed a lower minimum number of lymphocytes during the acute phase of esophagectomy (p = 0.051, Student’s t test, average 223.3 and 298.0/μl, respectively). CONCLUSION: Though the number of study patients is small, the prevalence of CMV reactivation caused by high-dose methylprednisolone therapy for ARDS after esophagectomy is remarkably high. This result strikes a note of warning concerning the management of these patients and suggests the importance of screenings for CMV reactivation so as to make an accurate diagnosis and initiate treatment in a timely manner.