title: Interferon-related mental deterioration after craniotomy for removal of metastatic renal cancer.
abstract: Interferon-related severe adverse events on the central nervous system are relatively rare, because interferon-alpha (INF-alpha) can not cross an intact blood-brain barrier. We experienced remarkable mental deterioration caused by INF-alpha administration in a 43-year-old man with renal cell carcinoma after surgical removal of a metastatic brain tumor. We detected a high concentration of INF-alpha in a cerebrospinal fluid sample, which was comparable to that in the serum at 24 h after the administration of INF-alpha; 5x10(6) IU i.m., suggesting that the blood-brain barrier was damaged somehow by the craniotomy. The mental deterioration improved shortly after discontinuation of the INF-alpha administration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, Tokyo University, Tokyo, Japan. takahashi-uro@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yanai
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurimoto
authors.forename: Nobutaka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ohta
authors.forename: Tadaichi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D003399:Craniotomy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha