Unexpected Fatal Pneumocystis Jirovecii Pneumonia During Triplet Therapy for Hormone‐Sensitive Prostate Cancer
Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) is a life-threatening opportunistic infection typically seen in immunocompromised patients. It is rarely reported during standard systemic therapy for prostate cancer. A 75-year-old man with low-volume metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) received triplet therapy with relugolix, darolutamide and docetaxel. He had well-controlled diabetes and no history of immunosuppression. After the second docetaxel cycle, he developed anorexia. Chest CT revealed bilateral ground-glass opacities. β-D-glucan was elevated, and sputum PCR detected P. jirovecii DNA. Despite appropriate trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and corticosteroid therapy, he died of respiratory failure ~10 days after symptom onset. This case highlights an underrecognized risk of PJP during triplet therapy for mHSPC. Prophylaxis should be considered in select high-risk patients, including elderly individuals or those with metabolic comorbidities.
Authors
- Takashi Fujita (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7417-3551)
- Gaku Hayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-0978-3230)
- Katsuhiro Kobayashi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4360-8636)
- Shunsuke Kamijo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-4832-7510)
- Fumihiro Ito (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7240-6113)
Institutions
- Gifu Prefectural Tajimi Hospital (JP)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Respirology Case Reports
- Published
- 2025-12-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/rcr2.70435
- Primary Topic
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00