Radiation recall reaction following gemcitabine.

A case of dermatitis and myositis in the upper thorax following administration of gemcitabine in a 65-year-old woman with metastatic non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is described. The reaction and time course suggest a radiation recall phenomenon. This report joins a small but increasing number of radiation recall events related to gemcitabine. The possibility of a radiation recall reaction should be borne in mind when a patient develops symptoms in a previously irradiated site without evidence of disease progression at that site. Cessation of the precipitating drug is the most important step in management and systemic steroids may hasten symptomatic relief.