Paclitaxel

Excerpt

A 56-year-old woman with ovarian cancer started receiving 3-weekly chemotherapy with paclitaxel 175 mg/BSA [route not stated] over 6−8 hours and carboplatin. She developed mild bilateral peripheral neuropathy after the third therapy cycle. Neuropathy was characterised by numbness and tingling in her hands and feet, which worsened after the fourth treatment cycle. She was treated with retinol [vitamin A], thiamine [vitamin B1], vitamin E, amitriptyline and gabapentin 2 weeks later, and her symptoms improved. However, she then developed left peripheral facial nerve palsy. A brain CT scan was unremarkable. Her therapy was changed to carboplatin and docetaxel, and her peripheral nerve palsy spontaneously resolved 3 weeks later.Author Comment“In this case of ovarian cancer we saw reversible peripheral facial nerve pulsy [sic] as a side effect of standard -dose paclitaxel chemotherapy.” …