Fatal neutropenic enterocolitis in a patient with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with first-line chemotherapy.

Neutropenic enterocolitis (NE) is a possible life-threatening complication to chemotherapy. The pathogenesis is multi-factorial with mucosal injury and impaired mucosal defence as contributing factors. Histopathological findings are hetero-geneous. Clinical presentation includes neutropenia, fever and abdominal pain. Treatment is not clearly defined. We present a fatal case of NE in a patient with prostate cancer treated with first-line chemotherapy, docetaxel 75 mg/m2 every three weeks and prednisolone 5 mg × 2 daily. The post-mortem examination confirmed NE with prostate cancer cells in bowel wall.