Mitomycin C associated hemolytic uremic syndrome.

Mitomycin C associated Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) is a potentially fatal but uncommon condition that is not yet widely recognised. It consists of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia and progressive renal failure associated with mitomycin C treatment and affects about 10% of patients treated with this agent. The renal failure usually develops about 8-10 mth after start of mitomycin C treatment and the mortality is approximately 60% from renal failure or pulmonary edema. Renal lesions are similar to those seen in idiopathic HUS and include arteriolar fibrin thrombi, expanded subendothelial zones in glomerular capillary walls, ischemic wrinkling of glomerular basement membranes and mesangiolysis. The mechanism of action is postulated as mitomycin C-induced endothelial cell damage. We describe the clinical course and pathological findings in a 65 yr-old man with gastric adenocarcinoma who developed renal failure and thrombocytopenia while on treatment with mitomycin C and died in pulmonary edema.