ABSTRACT
Since the discovery in the 1940s that nitrogen mustard, a chemical warfare agent, could be effective in the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, chemotherapeutic agents have been increasingly used for the treatment of a variety of neoplastic and inflammatory conditions. The diagnosis of chemotherapy-induced lung disease is often suggested by the onset of non-specific respiratory symptoms, consistent radiographic findings, and compatible pulmonary function studies. Clinicians directly or indirectly involved in the care of patients undergoing chemotherapy must constantly remain aware of the possibility of drug-induced pulmonary toxicities, as a growing list of agents is implicated. Patients undergoing chemotherapy with bleomycin often require other therapeutic agents, some of which have shown to promote lung toxicity in a synergistic manner. Mitomycin C is another antibiotic chemotherapeutic agent associated with significant lung toxicity. Busulfan is an alkylating chemotherapeutic agent essentially used in the treatment of myeloproliferative disorders.
