Paclitaxel-Related Macular Edema During Treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer
This breast cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage IV
- Biomarkers
- ER-positive, HER2-negative
- Sex
- Female
- Treatment
- endocrine therapy, chemotherapy and radiation
- Outcome
- Care Ongoing
Treatment course, step by step
- Received anastrozole, exemestane, epirubicin, capecitabine, and breast/chest wall radiation between 2017 and 2020.
- Started weekly paclitaxel in June 2020 as the cancer continued to progress.
- Paclitaxel was stopped after about 6 months because of severe bilateral macular edema, and eribulin chemotherapy was started in February 2021.
What happened, in summary
A 69-year-old woman had been living with ER-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer since 2017. Between 2017 and 2020 she received several lines of palliative treatment, including endocrine therapy with anastrozole and exemestane, chemotherapy with epirubicin and capecitabine, and radiation to the breast and chest wall. Because the cancer continued to progress slowly, she began weekly paclitaxel in June 2020.
After about 6 months of paclitaxel, she noticed gradually worsening vision in both eyes. Eye examination showed cystoid macular edema, a rare treatment-related problem. Initial treatment with anti-inflammatory eye drops did not help and her vision worsened further. After discussion between the ophthalmology and oncology teams, paclitaxel was stopped.
The eye problem then improved steadily. Eight weeks after stopping paclitaxel, the macular edema had fully resolved. Her cancer treatment continued with eribulin chemotherapy starting in February 2021.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by PMC / PubMed Central. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
Collections this story belongs to
- Stage 4 Breast Cancer 295 stories
- Stage 4 ER Positive Breast Cancer 87 stories
- ER Positive Breast Cancer 242 stories
- Anastrozole for Breast Cancer 71 stories
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer