Neutropenic Enterocolitis Associated with Docetaxel-based Chemotherapy in a Patient with Breast Carcinoma

Address for Correspondence: Haldun Kar, Department of General Surgery, Katip Celebi University Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey E-mail: haldunkar@hotmail.com ©Copyright 2016 by Emergency Physicians Association of Turkey Available online at www.jemcr.org Introduction Neutropenic enterocolitis (NE) is a clinical syndrome that can occur because of neutropenia induced by a disease or chemotherapy (1). It is mostly reported in adults with leukemia. Although the true incidence of the disease is unknown, it is estimated that 5% of adults undergoing chemotherapy for solid malignant tumors suffer from NE (1, 2). Docetaxel is a well-known taxanebased drug with high antitumor activity in different solid tumors. NE is reported as a life-threatening complication in patients receiving taxane-based anticancer drugs. Mortality rates are reported between 30 and 50%, mostly because of colon perforation and uncontrolled sepsis. Early diagnosis and immediate appropriate therapy affect the clinical outcome of NE (3, 4) We report a case of surgically treated NE in a patient who underwent docetaxel therapy for breast cancer.