Everolimus-related organizing pneumonia: a report establishing causality

Excerpt

Everolimus (RAD001) is an oral mTOR inhibitor that belongs to the group of proliferation signal inhibitors (PSI), which also includes sirolimus and temsirolimus. These compounds have antiproliferative and antifibrotic properties, and were initially used as immunosuppressants in solid organ transplantation. Their pleiotropic effects led to their use in cancer therapy. Drug-related pneumonias were first described in subjects treated with sirolimus [1], but subsequent reports suggested that everolimus could also cause pneumonia [2‐6]. However, all cases of everolimus-related pneumonia have been reported in subjects (i.e. transplant recipients or subjects with advanced cancers), who had received multiple therapies or who had pre-existing pulmonary disease (e.g. lung cancer). This has led to difficulties in establishing a firm causal relationship. We report a case of everolimus-related organizing pneumonia in a subject without pre-existing pulmonary disease or complicating therapy. …