Acute aortic dissection caused by fruquintinib for metastatic colorectal cancer-a case report and literature review.

Background: Fruquintinib is a highly selective tyrosine kinase inhibitor targeting vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). At present, it has been approved for third-line therapy for advanced metastatic colorectal cancer in China. Like other small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors, adverse reactions such as hand-foot syndrome, hypertension and cardiotoxicity may be seen. However, acute aortic dissection caused by fruquintinib has not been reported so far. Case Description: Here, we report a case of aortic dissection. The patient, a 61-year-old man with advanced metastatic colorectal cancer, without history of hypertension or other risk factors for aortic dissection, received fruquintinib as the third line of treatment. Six weeks after oral fruquintinib treatment, the patient developed acute aortic dissection, and the occurrence of the adverse effect was determined to be probably related to the use of fruquintinib. This article focuses on the potential pathogenesis of fruquintinib-induced active dissection. Conclusions: We reported the first case of fruquintinib-associated aortic dissection, and discussed the possible mechanism of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-VEGFR signal pathway (VSP) inhibitors leading to aortic dissection. As a new drug, fruquintinib brings not only clinical benefits, but also brings some adverse reactions. Clinicians must be vigilant to the cardiovascular toxicity caused by small molecular tyrosine kinase inhibitors, especially the severe cardiovascular toxicity, and strengthen monitoring and management.

Refractory hypokalemia caused by cetuximab with advanced colorectal cancer patients: the case series and literature review.

Cetuximab is the first-line treatment for advanced metastatic colon cancer. But cetuximab can cause electrolyte disturbances, including hypomagnesemia and hypokalemia. Among them, hypokalemia is often caused by hypomagnesemia, not directly caused by cetuximab. This article reports two cases of refractory hypokalemia caused by cetuximab without hypomagnesemia. The two patients had no abnormalities in serum potassium before cetuximab treatment. The occurrence of hypokalemia was clearly correlated with the cetuximab, and they were significantly improved after stopping or reducing the dose. At the same time, the appearance of hypokalemia is significantly related to the efficacy of cetuximab. They have received 37 and 35 cycles of cetuximab-related therapy, with condition stable periods of 12.8 and 15.1 months, respectively. Obviously, our report refutes the above view. In our opinion, hypokalemia, a side effect of cetuximab, may be directly caused by it, rather than secondary to hypomagnesemia. Similar to hypomagnesemia, the appearance of hypokalemia often indicates a better curative effect of cetuximab.

Tumor-mutation burden as a marker for immunotherapy of pancreatic cancer: the case report and literature review.

Pancreatic cancer is digestive cancer with limited therapeutic options and a poor outcome. Pancreatic cancer has a high mortality rate, with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. The median survival after metastasis of the disease is less than 6 months. Studies have revealed that the standard treatment, including palliative chemotherapy or immunotherapy, is not significantly effective for pancreatic cancer. Herein, we report a case of pancreatic cancer who benefited from a combination of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy and chemotherapy.