Crizotinib: aseptic abscesses in multiple organs during treatment of EML4-ALK-positive NSCLC

Purpose We report a novel side effect of Crizotinib, an oral ALK inhibitor used in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with activating rearrangement of EML4-ALK. It expands the known spectrum of complications of Crizotinib. Methods Clinical case report. Results Multiple aseptic and recurrent abscesses were observed in the liver, thoracic wall as well as in both kidneys in a 75-year-old female patient suffering from NSCLC who had been treated with Crizotinib for almost 2 years. After discontinuation of the treatment the abscesses dissolved spontaneously and did not reoccur. Conclusion Aseptic abscesses under treatment with Crizotinib are not restricted to the kidneys as described before, but can also occur in other abdominal organs as the liver and even in the thoracic wall. We postulate that this finding may point to a yet unknown not tissue-dependent mechanism of action.