Reactions 1371 - 1 Oct 2011

★Amlodipine/rosuvastatin

Radiation recall dermatitis (first report withamlodipine): case report

A 56-year-old woman developed radiation recalldermatitis while receiving amlodipine [Norvasc] androsuvastatin [Crestor].

The woman was diagnosed with low-grade ductal cancerof the left breast at 51 years of age. Six weeks after breast-conserving surgery, she received whole-breast irradiationfrom June–July 2005. The radiotherapy course wasassociated with mild erythema, oedema, axillary sorenessand postradiation dry desquamation. Within 1 month ofcompleting radiotherapy, her symptoms had resolved. Shethen received tamoxifen for 5 years. In December 2010,she started rosuvastatin 5mg and amlodipine 5mg daily forhypercholesterolaemia and hypertension, respectively[dosage information incomplete; routes not stated]. Shealso received aspirin. Two weeks later, she presented witha pruritic, erythematous rash associated with the site of theprevious radiotherapy.

The woman received ciprofloxacin for suspectedcellulitis; however, her symptoms did not improve. Furtherexamination confirmed an oedematous, grade 2 radiationdermatitis, spreading from the midsternal line to the leftmidaxillary line. She was advised to discontinuerosuvastatin and amlodipine. Her rash was treated withhydrocortisone and moisturising lotion, and showed signsof improvement within 3 days. Her skin reaction hadcompletely resolved after 21 days, with no subsequentrecurrence.Taunk NK, et al. Radiation recall 5 years after whole-breast irradiation for early-stage breast cancer secondary to initiation of rosuvastatin and amlodipine. Journalof Clinical Oncology 29: e661-3, No. 22, Aug 2011 - USA 803060842

» Editorial comment: A search of AdisBase, Medline andEmbase did not reveal any previous case reports of radiationrecall associated with amlodipine. The WHO ADR databasecontained no reports of recall phenomenon associated withamlodipine.

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Reactions 1 Oct 2011 No. 13710114-9954/10/1371-0001/$14.95 © 2010 Adis Data Information BV. All rights reserved