Acute Bleomycin Lung^1,2

Bleomycin-Induced Diffuse Interstitial Pulmonary Fibrosis in Baboons

“…The pathology of bleomycin-induced lung injury in FIGURE 6 Section of right lower lobe of lung taken at necropsy from baboon which died after 95 U/kg of bleomycin. man initially consists of interstitial edema and mononuclear inflammatory cell infiltration which progresses with larger doses to fibrinous exudation into alveolar spaces and proliferation of fibroblasts and type II alveolar epithelial cells (23)(24)(25). Our observations and those of others (26,27) indicate that similar lesions may develop in experimental animals treated with bleomycin.…”

Chemotherapeutic Drug-Induced Pulmonary Disease

“…However, it has a high incidence of pulmonary toxicity. [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] This was recognized from the beginning, such that all treatment protocols required close monitoring of pulmonary function and the chest x-ray. Approximately 10 percent of all patients on this drug will develop some evidence of pulmonary disease, and 1 percent will have serious side effects including severe respiratory insufficiency and death.…”

Secretory Cells of the Peripheral Pulmonary Epithelium as Targets for Toxic Agents

“…For example, type II cells which are relatively resistant to the effects of the oxidant gases, oxygen, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide, nevertheless proliferate in response to injury inflicted upon the type I cell by these gases (56)(57)(58)(59). Proliferative responses by the type II cell have been observed following exposure of animals to numerous toxicants such as cadmium (60), busulphan (61), bleomycin (62), heroin (63), silica (64), and urethane (65). However, with most toxic agents reasons for the proliferative response of the type II cell are not clear.…”

“…The proliferation of type II cells seen in radiation pneumonitis may be a response to type II cell, rather than type I cell injury. Proliferation of type II cells in response to type II cell injury may be part of the repair process since other toxic agents such as busulphan (61) and bleomycin (62) cause type II cell damage as well as proliferation of this cell.…”