Anticancer agents may trigger reactivation of hepatitis B virus infection ensuing in asymptomatic to severe liver damage.
Preemptive administration of antiviral agents such as lamivudine to patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy has been shown to inhibit viral replication and prevent such events. No data are available so far concerning the coadministration of antiviral agents and everolimus, an oral mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor recently approved for the treatment of advanced renal cell carcinoma. We present in this study the first case to our knowledge of a hepatitis B surface antigen-positive patient with metastatic renal cell carcinoma who has been successfully treated with prophylactic lamivudine and everolimus. Long-term depletion of viral replication was obtained along with stabilization of lung and bone metastases. Hepatitis B surface antigen positivity may be found in up to 10% of cancer patients but should not be considered a contraindication to treatment with everolimus.
Written by:
Dʼaniello C, Maruzzo M, Basso U. Are you the author?
Medical Oncology Unit 1, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV-IRCCS, Padova, Italy.
Reference: Am J Ther. 2013 Dec 23. Epub ahead of print.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24368609
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