title: A case of Wernicke's encephalopathy following fluorouracil-based chemotherapy.
abstract: The pyrimidine antimetabolite 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is a chemotherapeutic agent used widely for various tumors. Common side effects of 5-FU are related to its effects on the bone marrow and gastrointestinal epithelium. Neurotoxicity caused by 5-FU is uncommon, although acute and delayed forms have been reported. Wernicke's encephalopathy is an acute, neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from thiamine deficiency, and has significant morbidity and mortality. Central nervous system neurotoxicity such as Wernicke's encephalopathy following chemotherapy with 5-FU has been reported rarely, although it has been suggested that 5-FU can produce adverse neurological effects by causing thiamine deficiency. We report a patient with Wernicke's encephalopathy, reversible with thiamine therapy, associated with 5-FU-based chemotherapy.
authors: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.
authors: In Jeong
authors: IJ
authors: Cho
authors: Hye Jung
authors: HJ
authors: Chang
authors: Kyoung Eun
authors: KE
authors: Lee
authors: Hye Sung
authors: HS
authors: Won
authors: Moon Young
authors: MY
authors: Choi
authors: Eun Mi
authors: EM
authors: Nam
authors: Yeung-Chul
authors: YC
authors: Mun
authors: Soon Nam
authors: SN
authors: Lee
authors: Chu-Myong
authors: CM
authors: Seong
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy; D013831:Thiamine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013832:Thiamine Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D014899:Wernicke Encephalopathy / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D005472:Fluorouracil; D013831:Thiamine