Background: Sorafenib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, and recently for radioactive iodine (RAI)-refractory metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Several side effects have been described including alterations in amylase and lipase levels. Nonetheless, only a few cases of pancreatitis during renal carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma treatment have been described. Objective: To describe the first case report of sorafenib-induced acute pancreatitis during the treatment of thyroid carcinoma. Methods and Results: In a 60-year-old Latin woman with RAI-refractory papillary thyroid carcinoma, T4bN1bM1, sorafenib was indicated due to locally recurrent, metastatic, and progressive lung involvement without iodine uptake. Therapy was initiated (200 mg) every 8 h. Three days after starting the medication, abdominal pain, nausea, and emesis appeared. A blood test revealed elevated amylase (343 U/L RV: 28–100) and lipase (1,969 U/L RV: 23–300) levels, but no other findings, confirming acute mild pancreatitis. Hypertriglyceridemia, hypercalcemia, and alcohol and biliary etiologies were ruled out and sorafenib-acute pancreatitis was concluded. Two weeks later, sorafenib was resumed without recurrence. To date, this is the tenth sorafenib-related pancreatitis report and the first in a patient with RAI-refractory metastatic DTC. Conclusions: Sorafenib-acute pancreatitis may develop in patients with RAI-refractory thyroid cancer. This adverse event seems to be independent of the treatment duration and administered dose. Resuming the medication with an adjusted dose after pancreatitis resolution may be safe.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.