Severe Adverse Reaction to Vemurafenib in a Pregnant Woman with Metastatic Melanoma

• Published in: Case reports in oncology Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 119 - 124
• Main Authors: de Haan, Jorine, van Thienen, Johannes V., Casaer, Michael, Hannivoort, Rebekka A., Van Calsteren, Kristel, van Tuyl, Minke, van Gerwen, Mathilde M., Debeer, Anne, Amant, Frédéric, Painter, Rebecca C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel, Switzerland S. Karger AG 15.02.2018; Karger Publishers
• Subjects: Age; Birth weight; Cancer therapies; Case Report; Case reports; Emergency medical care; Gynecology; Immunotherapy; Infections; Infertility; Intensive care; Melanoma; Metastasis; Metastatic melanoma; Mutation; Obstetrics; Oncology; Patients; Pregnancy; Skin cancer; Toxic epidermal necrolysis; Ultrasonic imaging; Vemurafenib; Womens health; Young adults; Belgium; United States > US; Netherlands; Pregnancy; Vemurafenib; Toxic epidermal necrolysis; Metastatic melanoma
• ISSN: 1662-6575; 1662-6575
• DOI: 10.1159/000487128

Targeted therapies have drastically changed the management of metastatic melanoma and have shown encouraging results on tumour progression but are also known for their high rates of adverse reactions. In general, targeted therapies are contraindicated during pregnancy due to concerns about teratogenesis. For the BRAF V600 inhibitor vemurafenib, the available literature about the effects on human pregnancy is limited to a single case report. In patients with metastatic melanoma that wish to continue their pregnancy, targeted therapies like vemurafenib offer the only possibility of improving maternal outcome. In this article, we report on a pregnant woman with metastatic melanoma who was treated with vemurafenib during pregnancy and experienced a fatal adverse reaction.