Neurotoxic complications of chemotherapy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Modern therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children shows high efficiency. However, the outcome of the disease is often determined by the toxicity of chemotherapy drugs. In particular, neurotoxicity, which is characteristic of most anticancer drugs, can lead to severe neurological disorders, which significantly aggravates the course of the underlying disease and determines the formation of disability. The article presents two clinical cases that demonstrate severe chemoinduced neurological disorders in children. In the first case, damage to the central nervous system due to intraventricular administration of methotrexate is described. The second case demonstrates a severe degree of chemoinduced polyneuropathy with vincristine. Both children received the status of a patient in need of palliative care because of the complications received. The presence of such cases in practice dictates the need to develop new diagnostic methods aimed at early detection of neurotoxic complications, as well as to identify groups with high risk of the formation of chemoinduced neurological disorders.