Transient Coma and Signs of Encephalopathy Related to 5-Fluorouracil and Carboplatin: A Case Report.

ABSTRACT: Chemotherapy-related encephalopathy is a rare but severe side effect of cancer therapy. Few reports exist on the course of encephalopathy due to 5-fluorouracil (5FU)/carboplatin treatment. Here, we report on a patient in his 70s, who received first-line palliative treatment with carboplatin followed by continuous infusion of 5FU against a metastasized cancer of the base of the tongue. During the first 5FU infusion, the patient developed a coma with sudden onset. In contrast to earlier reports of 5FU-induced encephalopathy, serum ammonium levels were near-normal, despite a slightly increased bilirubin. The electroencephalogram showed signs of general encephalopathy, for which no other probable cause than chemotherapy could be identified. Based on historical reports, the patient's encephalop

SUBMITTER: Zupancic M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10359680 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan-Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature