Simultaneous bilateral atraumatic Achilles tendon rupture in a breast cancer survivor: a fourfold pharmacological threat

Simultaneous bilateral atraumatic Achilles tendon rupture (SBATR) is an exceedingly rare clinical entity, accounting for less than 1% of all Achilles tendon injuries. Unlike unilateral traumatic ruptures, SBATR is often a sentinel marker of systemic toxicity or metabolic compromise. We report the case of a woman in her late 70s, a survivor of triple-negative breast cancer with a history of polymyalgia rheumatica and dyslipidaemia, who suffered spontaneous bilateral ruptures shortly after completing a course of fluoroquinolones (FQs) for respiratory sepsis. Her clinical baseline was characterised by chronic exposure to prednisone and simvastatin. Despite the severity of the structural failure, the patient was managed successfully with a functional conservative protocol.

This case highlights the synergistic risk of tendon degradation when FQs are added to a baseline of corticosteroids, statins and a history of cytotoxic chemotherapy—a ‘pharmacological storm’—and demonstrates that non-operative management remains a viable and effective strategy in the geriatric population with multiple comorbidities.