A case of reversible dilated cardiomyopathy after α-interferon therapy in a patient with renal cell carcinoma

A 47-year-old man with renal cell carcinoma underwent nephrectomy, and postoperative chemotherapy was performed with recombinant a-interferon. Five years later, he experienced dyspnea during physical exertion. An echocardiogram revealed dilatation and systolic dysfunction of the left ventricle, and thallium-201 myocardial scintigraphy showed diffuse heterogeneous perfusion. We diagnosed congestive heart failure because of cardiomyopathy induced by a-interferon therapy. Withdrawal of interferon therapy and the combination of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, diuretics, and digitalis improved left ventricular systolic function. Furthermore, myocardial scintigraphy using [I-123]beta-methyl-p-iodophenylpentade-canoic acid (I-123-BMIPP) or [I-123]metaiodobenzylguanidine (I-123-MIBG) revealed normal perfusion after the improvement of congestive heart failure. This is a rare case of interferon-induced cardiomyopathy that resulted in normal myocardial images in 123 I-BMIPP and I-123-MIBG scintigrams after withdrawal of interferon therapy.