[A case of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis secondary to sunitinib treatment for renal cell carcinoma]

A 78-year-old man was diagnosed as having right renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with metastasis to the right lung. He received sunitinib and the treatment reduced the size of both RCC and lung metastasis. Then he received right radical nephrectomy. The pathological diagnosis was clear cell RCC. After the initial surgery, he was diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatic and steroid therapy was started. During follow-up, local recurrence was discovered and sunitinib was then started at a dose of 25 mg/day. Two months after the treatment, abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed colonic pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis. Administration of sunitinib was stopped and the patient was observed carefully without pursuing surgical intervention. A follow-up CT demonstrated resolution of the colonic pnumatosis.