Acute pancreatitis associated with sorafenib.

Since its FDA approval in December 2005, sorafenib (Nexavar) has been in use for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma. With this increased use have come reports of adverse effects of sorafenib. To the best of the authors' knowledge, they are the first to describe an 80-year-old Asian male with a history of metastatic renal cell carcinoma who developed acute pancreatitis confirmed by computed tomography (CT) one month after taking sorafenib 400 mg orally twice a day. Sorafenib was eventually discontinued, and the pancreatitis resolved. The molecular biologic mechanism causing this side effect is discussed. Patients should be informed of this rare but potentially serious adverse effect before initiation of sorafenib therapy. Early recognition of this complication and complete discontinuation of sorafenib are recommended.