Docetaxel-induced Flagellate Erythema - Case Report and Brief Review

Introduction: Flagellate erythema is a distinctive morphologic reaction pattern recognized by whiplash-like pruritic erythematous eruption. It is usually encountered in patients receiving bleomycin. Only one case of docetaxel-induced flagellate erythema is reported in the literature. Case Report: Herein, we report a rare case of docetaxel-induced flagellate erythema in a 53 years old woman with no particular medical history treated with docetaxel for metastatic adenocarcinoma of her right breast. Seven days after the third course, she developed multiple lineal and parallel pruritic erythematous streaks mainly on her chest and abdomen. The cutaneous erythema disappeared gradually over 10 days, leaving hyper-pigmented post-inflammatory linear scars lasting two weeks. The same reaction reappeared after the fourth and the fifth docetaxel course. Conclusion: Flagellate erythema has been reported as an adverse drug reaction secondary to several antineoplastic molecules, including docetaxel. Further studies are needed to discover its underlying mechanisms in order to figure out better treatment plans and prevention.