Transitory, spotaneously recovering, peripheral facial nerve palsy after vionorelbine administration

ABSTRACT

Vinorclbine is a semi-synthetic vinca alkaloid that has demonstrated a broad spectrum of activity. It is widely used in non small cell lung cancer. We report the case of a 50 year old man, having stage IV lung carcinoma with a unique cerebral metastasis in the right hemisphere. Focal cerebral radiotherapy was first administrated followed by intravenous chemotherapy associating vinorelbine to cisplatin. He has developed multiple subsequent and transitory episodes of monolateral peripheral facial nerve palsy in the left side during vinorelbine administration. The palsy has completely and spontaneously resolved at a short interval, around twenty minutes, after the end of the drug infusion. Obvious cerebral tumor progression was excluded by means of CT scan; the drug was thereby administrated as scheduled until the end of the treatment. We describe an unusual side effect, until now reported in only two cases, having brain-stem gliomas, among English and French literature, dealing with vinorelbine as adjuvant treatment. We discuss possible neurological and oncnlogical implications