ABSTRACT
Four children with vincristine (VCR)-induced neuropathy are being reported. All cases were followed with the diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Two were boys aged between 2 and 13 year. Electromyographic examination consisted of sensoriomotor polyneuropathy with axonal involvement in three patients. In another patient, it consisted of motor axonal polyneuropathy. In all patients, pyridoxine and pyridostigmine were successfully used in the treatment of VCR-induced neuropathy. They recovered completely with this drug combination. Recovering period of symptoms was between 1-2 week.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/administration & dosage , Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/adverse effects , Child , Child, Preschool , Cholinesterase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Humans , Male , Polyneuropathies/chemically induced , Polyneuropathies/diagnosis , Polyneuropathies/drug therapy , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/diagnosis , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/drug therapy , Pyridostigmine Bromide/therapeutic use , Pyridoxine/therapeutic use , Treatment Outcome , Vincristine/administration & dosage , Vincristine/adverse effects , Vitamin B Complex/therapeutic useABSTRACT
We present two patients with brucellosis concomitant with acute leukemia. Co-existence of acute leukemia with brucellosis which may have similar symptoms, have not been reported earlier. The first case presented with generalized arthralgia, fever, paleness and pancytopenia. The second patient had mild leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. She presented with fever. We carried out the chemotherapy for both ALL and brucellosis simultaneously. While the first patient's fever disappeared within 3 days, the second patient's fever had continued on subfebril level for five days and then disappeared. We achieved the remission in both patients and no reactivation was observed during the follow-up period.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Brucellosis/complications , Child, Preschool , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Fever , Humans , Male , Pancytopenia/etiology , Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/complicationsABSTRACT
We describe a 5-year-old girl showed recovery of vincristine induced cranial polyneuropathy with pyridoxine and pyridostigmine treatment. A 5-year-old girl was diagnosed preB cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). She received chemotherapy according to the previously described modified St. Jude total therapy studies XIII. Five days after the fourth dose of vincristine, she presented with bilateral ptosis. Neurological examination revealed bilateral ptosis, and complete external opthalmoplegia with normal pupillary and corneal reflexes. She received 3.8 mg cumulative dose of vincristin before development of ptosis. A neuroprotective and neuroregenerative treatment attempt with pyridoxine and pyridostigmine was initiated. The bilateral ptosis markedly improved after 7 days of pyridoxine and pyridostigmine treatment and completely resolved after two weeks. The both agents were given for 3 weeks and were well tolerated without any side effects. During the follow up period we did not observe residue or recurrence of the ptosis.