Ocular Adverse Events of Systemic Inhibitors of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor: Report of 5 Cases

Purpose To describe the ocular effects associated with the administration of the systemic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors panitumumab and erlotinib. Design Retrospective, noncomparative interventional case series. Participants Ten eyes of 5 patients in treatment with systemic EGFR inhibitors, 4 patients with erlotinib for end-stage lung carcinoma, and 1 patient with panitumumab for end-stage colorectal cancer. Methods Data collected from charts included gender, age at presentation, systemic disease, and clinical presentation in each eye. Main Outcome Measures Demographics on presentation and clinical findings. Results Multiple epithelial defects were observed in all 10 eyes, corneal melting and thinning were observed in 3 eyes of 2 patients, 2 eyes of 1 patient presented with lower lid ectropion, and 2 eyes of 2 patients presented with corneal perforation, both requiring a penetrating keratoplasty. Conclusions Severe ocular side effects, including corneal perforation, may be associated with the use of the EGFR inhibitors panitumumab and erlotinib. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.