%0 Journal Article
%T Interleukin-11-induced capillary leak syndrome in primary hepatic carcinoma patients with thrombocytopenia
%A Wang Kai-Feng
%A Pan Hong-Ming
%A Lou Hai-Zhou
%A Shen Li-Rong
%A Zhu Xi-Yan
%J BMC Cancer
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1471-2407-11-204
%X We describe two cases of CLS after IL-11 administration in two males with thrombocytopenia. Case 1 was a 46-year-old man with recurrence of hepatic carcinoma who was treated with IL-11 (3 mg per day). After four days of therapy, hypotension and hypoproteinemia were detected. The chest X-ray and B ultrasound of the abdomen showed pleural effusion and ascites. IL-11 was then discontinued, fluid resuscitation was performed, and fresh frozen plasma and packed red blood cells were transfused into this patient. The patient had recovered after 19 days of treatment.Case 2 was a 66-year-old man who had undergone radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for hepatic carcinoma. He was treated with IL-11 (3 mg per day) for thrombocytopenia. After two days of therapy, this patient complained of dyspnea with bilateral edema of the hands. Laboratory values showed hypoproteinemia. IL-11 was stopped and human albumin was transfused at a rate of 10 g per day. On the 4th day, fluid resuscitation was performed. The patient had recovered after treatment for two weeks.The detection of IL-11-induced CLS supports the hypothesis that CLS could be a severe side effect of IL-11 treatment in some patients. These two case reports also demonstrate that patients with hepatic carcinoma who experience this rare form of CLS after treatment with IL-11 seem to respond to a therapeutic regimen that involves hydroxyethyl starch, albumin, and diuretic therapy. Liver cancer patients might be more susceptible to CLS because of poor liver function and hypersplenia. In addition, bleeding after RFA might be a further inducer of CLS.Capillary leak syndrome (CLS) is a rare clinical syndrome that was first described in 1960. In the vast majority of cases, it is characterized by acute episodes of generalized edema, hemoconcentration, and hypoproteinemia. The cause of CLS is unknown, and the condition is probably under recognized because of its nonspecific symptoms and signs and high mortality rate. Up to and including 1990,
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/11/204