Pseudotumor cerebri secondary to intermediate-dose cytarabine HCl.
OBJECTIVE
To describe a case of pseudotumor cerebri associated with the administration of intermediate-dose cytarabine.


METHODS
An 11-year-old Hispanic boy with acute myeloblastic leukemia developed symptoms of pseudotumor cerebri (headache, diplopia, photophobia, nausea, vomiting) after receiving chemotherapy including cytarabine. The patient improved after a lumbar puncture and treatment with prednisone and acetazolamide, and is now asymptomatic.


CONCLUSIONS
Pseudotumor cerebri is a condition usually associated with obese women of child-bearing age. Case reports in pediatric patients are unusual. Several medications have been implicated in causing pseudotumor cerebri, including antimicrobials (tetracycline, naladixic acid), amiodarone, lithium carbonate, vitamin A and its derivatives, growth hormone, and corticosteroids. Chemotherapy agents reported to cause pseudotumor cerebri include busulfan with cyclophosphamide, and the combination of vinblastine, cisplatin, and bleomycin. Most of the information on medication-induced pseudotumor cerebri is in the form of case reports. Different mechanisms for causing this condition have been offered for individual medications. Most of these explanations involve fluid imbalance or interference with the Na+/K+ adenosine triphosphatase pump. Controlled studies are difficult because this condition is an unpredictable and rare occurrence. Cytarabine has frequently been associated with neurologic toxicities, but few reports of pseudotumor cerebri can be found.


CONCLUSIONS
The exact cause of pseudotumor cerebri in this patient is unknown, but cytarabine seems a likely cause. The mechanism by which cytarabine could cause this reaction is unclear.
Fort
J A
JA
Division of Hematology/Oncology, Miami Children's Hospital, FL 33155, USA.
Smith
L D
LD
D000086:Acetazolamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D003561:Cytarabine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011559:Pseudotumor Cerebri / Q000139:chemically induced*
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D004232:Diuretics; D003561:Cytarabine; D000086:Acetazolamide; D011241:Prednisone