Bleomycin-induced Pulmonary Toxicity in a Patient with Hodgkin Lymphoma: ACase Report

Bleomycin is an antineoplastic drug used to treat various types of cancer. It can cause pulmonary toxicity (PT) with different patterns on chest computed tomography (CT), including diffuse alveolar injury, organized pneumonia, nonspecific interstitial pneumonia, and bronchiolitis. The exact mechanism of PT remains unclear, but it is related to the generation of active bleomycin radicals in the absence of oxygen. Currently, the only effective treatment for PT is timely administration of corticosteroids to prevent severe respiratory failure and fibrosis. A case of a patient with stage IIIB Hodgkin's lymphoma who experienced clinical deterioration attributed to the toxic effects of bleomycin is presented. The patient's chemotherapy regimen was changed, and the AVD regimen was continued without bleomycin, along with oral steroid treatment for four weeks. After seven weeks, the patient's symptoms improved significantly, and imaging revealed improvement.