2017 Volume 54 Issue 3 Pages 262-266
Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate. Several studies have shown the efficacy of BV in relapsed or refractory anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). We present the case of a 14-year-old girl who experienced acute pancreatitis during the BV treatment of relapsed ALCL. The patient had stage 4 ALCL with cranial involvement at onset. She once achieved complete remission, but the disease relapsed only 1 month after the completion of chemotherapy. BV was effective against relapsed ALCL: she entered a second remission after the first administration of BV. After 4 cycles of BV treatment, however, she developed acute pancreatitis. As there were no signs of recurrence, the pancreatitis was likely due to BV treatment. Vinblastine was administered weekly to maintain remission until the recovery from pancreatitis, and allogeneic umbilical cord blood transplantation was finally performed. Although BV has been generally considered a safer drug, careful observation should be carried out for drug-induced pancreatitis.
