Possible Fruquintinib associated ischemic colitis in a patient with metastatic ampullary adenocarcinoma
Authors
Frank.Epitropoulos@mchs.com
Keywords
Ischemic colitis, fruquintinib, VEGFR inhibitor, gastrointestinal bleeding, targeted therapy toxicityAbstract
Introduction: Ischemic colitis is a severe gastrointestinal condition resulting from compromised colonic perfusion and may occur as a rare adverse effect of anti-angiogenic therapies.
Case description: We report a case of severe acute ischemic colitis temporally associated with recent fruquintinib exposure, presenting with large-volume haematochezia in a patient with metastatic ampullary adenocarcinoma.
Discussion: Fruquintinib is a highly selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for refractory gastrointestinal malignancies and is generally well tolerated. Although gastrointestinal toxicities are well described, ischemic colitis has not been well characterized in association with fruquintinib.
References
- Li J, Qin S, Xu RH, Shen L, Xu J, Bai Y, et al. Effect of Fruquintinib vs Placebo on Overall Survival in Patients With Previously Treated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The FRESCO Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2018;319:2486-2496. doi: 10.1001/jama.2018.7855
- Dasari A, Lonardi S, Garcia-Carbonero R, Elez E, Yoshino T, Sobrero A, et al. Fruquintinib versus placebo in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (FRESCO-2): an international, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, phase 3 study. Lancet 2023;402:41-53. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(23)00772-9
- Lordick F, Geinitz H, Theisen J, Sendler A, Sarbia M. Increased risk of ischemic bowel complications during treatment with bevacizumab after pelvic irradiation: report of three cases. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2006;64:1295-1298. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2005.12.004
- Lee HN, Lee MA, Kim SW, Lim Y, Lee H, Lee HM, et al. [A case of severe bevacizumab-induced ischemic pancolitis, treated with conservative management]. Korean J Gastroenterol 2011;58:42-46. Korean. doi: 10.4166/kjg.2011.58.1.42
- Liu Q, Wang Q, Tan H, Zhang W, Wang B, Jin T, et al. Renal-Limited Thrombotic Microangiopathy Induced by Fruquintinib and Tislelizumab: A Case Report. Nephrology (Carlton) 2025;30:e70067. doi: 10.1111/nep.70067. Erratum in: Nephrology (Carlton) 2025;30:e70130. doi: 10.1111/nep.70130
- Santorsola M, Capuozzo M, Nasti G, Sabbatino F, Di Mauro A, Di Mauro G, et al. Exploring the Spectrum of VEGF Inhibitors’ Toxicities from Systemic to Intra-Vitreal Usage in Medical Practice. Cancers (Basel) 2024;16:350. doi: 10.3390/cancers16020350
- Liu J, Yan S, Du J, Teng L, Yang R, Xu P, et al. Mechanism and treatment of diarrhea associated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Heliyon 2024;10:e27531. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e27531.
- Andreyev J, Ross P, Donnellan C, Lennan E, Leonard P, Waters C, et al. Guidance on the management of diarrhoea during cancer chemotherapy. Lancet Oncol 2014;15:e447-60. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(14)70006-3