Thrombotic microangiopathy with renal failure in two patients undergoing gemcitabine chemotherapy.

Described here are 2 patients who developed thrombotic microangiopathy of the kidneys after receiving high cumulative doses of the new anticancer drug gemcitabine. The first patient, who received gemcitabine for treatment of a carcinoma of the pancreas, required hemodialysis for 6 months. In the second case, a woman suffering from a cholangiocellular carcinoma, end-stage renal disease was irreversible. Clinical awareness, timely detection and discontinuation of gemcitabine are mandatory to prevent this rare but disastrous complication of gemcitabine therapy. Copyright 1999 S. Karger AG, Basel