Cicero G, Fulfaro F, Caraceni A, Arcara C, Badalamenti G, Intrivici C, Gebbia N
Operative Unit of Medical Oncology, Department of Oncology, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Italy.
J Chemother. 2006 Jun;18(3):325-7. doi: 10.1179/joc.2006.18.3.325.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is a demyelinating polyneuropathy of probable autoimmune pathogenesis characterized by rapidly progressive symmetric paralysis. In the literature some cases of GBS associated with anticancer chemotherapy are reported. We present a case of a 55-year old woman who complained of progressive motor deficit in four limbs, areflexia in lower limbs and facial nerve paralysis one week after beginning cisplatin-gemcitabine chemotherapy for metastatic lung cancer. The cerebrospinal fluid analysis showed a strong positive Pandy reaction with 435 mg/dl total protein. The electromyography and the electroneuronography established the diagnosis of inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. Specific therapy with intravenous immunoglobulin 25 g/day in 5 administrations for 5 days was started with complete benefit.
