Remarkable effects of infliximab on severe radiation-induced side effects in a patient with uterine cervical cancer - a case report

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore

Pelvic radiotherapy is an effective treatment for many cancers, but injury to healthy tissue can produce long-term, potentially debilitating effects that impair quality of life and daily function. New approaches are needed to reduce pelvic radiotherapy side effects while preserving antitumor benefit. In this case report, a woman with severe radiation-induced intestinal complications received infliximab, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor, at 3 mg/kg every 4–6 weeks. Bowel health improved markedly, with late bowel toxicity decreasing from Grade 2 to Grade 0, suggesting infliximab may treat chronic bowel dysfunction after radiotherapy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Case description

Remarkable effects of infliximab on severe radiation-induced side effects in a patient with uterine cervical cancer: a case report Amelie Toft Morn, Cecilia Bull and Karin Bergmark Journal of International Medical Research 2023, Vol. 51(12) 1–6! The Author(s) 2023 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/03000605231208596](DOI: 10.1177/03000605231208596)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/03000605231208596)[journals.sagepub.com/home/imr](journals.sagepub.com/home/imr) Abstract Pelvic radiotherapy is a powerful treatment for a broad range of cancers, including gynecological, prostate, rectal, and anal cancers. Despite improvements in the delivery of ionizing beams, damage to non-cancerous tissue can cause long-term effects that are potentially severe, affecting quality of life and daily function. There is an urgent need for new strategies to treat and reverse the side effects of pelvic radiotherapy without compromising the antitumor effect. A woman with severe radiation-induced intestinal side effects was treated with the tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor infliximab with a dose of 3mg/kg every 4 to 6 weeks. With infliximab treatment, a remarkable improvement in her bowel health was observed. The patient’s late bowel toxicity was reduced from Grade 2 to Grade 0 (RTOG/EORTC Late Radiation Morbidity Scale). Although it is necessary to proceed cautiously because of the risk of serious side effects from immunosuppressants, our case suggests that infliximab can be used to treat symptoms of chronic bowel dysfunction after radiotherapy. Keywords Radiotherapy, pelvic cancer, side effect, infliximab, case report, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, immunosuppressant Date received: 10 July 2023; accepted: 29 September 2023 Introduction Radiotherapy is curative in several types of cancer, particularly in locally advanced uterine cervical, vaginal, vulvar, anal, and head-and-neck cancers. Radiotherapy is Division of Clinical Cancer Epidemiology, Department of Oncology, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Corresponding author: Karin Bergmark, MD, PhD, Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Bl˚a Str˚aket 6, 413 45, Gothenburg, Sweden. Email: [karin.bergmark@vgregion.se](karin.bergmark@vgregion.se) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). also frequently used as an adjuvant therapy in other malignancies to improve local control, progression-free survival, and overall survival. Moreover, radiotherapy is a useful palliative treatment that can relieve symptoms such as pain and bleeding. However, this potent therapy is not withoutside effects. The long-term side effects of pelvic radiotherapy are collectively termed manifestations of “pelvic radiation disease,” and the impact of the disease is substantial.1 At least 80% of irradiated pelvic cancer survivors develop long-term bowel dysfunction because of radiation damage to the intestines.2,3 Among these patients, 60% live with deleterious effects on the urinary tract, 50% experience effects on the lymphatic system (lymphedema), and almost all patients experience symptoms that affect sexuality and fertility.4 These long-term effects have severe consequences on quality of life and daily function. 5,6 There is an urgent need for new strategies to treat and reverse the side effects of pelvic radiotherapy without

FAQs

What treatment was used to address the patient’s severe radiation-induced intestinal side effects?

The patient was treated with infliximab, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor, administered at 3 mg/kg every 4 to 6 weeks.

How did infliximab affect the patient’s late bowel toxicity?

Late bowel toxicity was reduced from Grade 2 to Grade 0 according to the RTOG/EORTC Late Radiation Morbidity Scale.

Why is infliximab use cautioned in this context?

The report notes the need for caution because immunosuppressants carry a risk of serious side effects.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Theodore