title: Vocal cord palsy after vincristine treatment in a child and the inefficacy of glutamic acid in the prevention of relapse: a case report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vincristine is an antineoplastic drug with a well known efficacy for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and many solid tumors. No more than 20 pediatric patients with vincristine-induced vocal cord palsy have been reported, and to the best of our knowledge this is the first case where glutamic acid was administered with the aim of preventing a relapse of laryngeal dysfunction.
  
  
  METHODS
  The larynx paralysis presented with hoarseness and stridor in a Caucasian 18-month-old girl and spontaneously resolved in about a month. In order to administer a subsequent full dose of vincristine, our patient received oral glutamic acid whose efficacy against vincristine neurological side effects has been previously reported.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Since in our patient the amino acid proved to be ineffective in the prevention of laryngeal paralysis relapse, we suggest that a dose reduction of vincristine should be preferred by oncologists as an initial approach after a case of drug-induced vocal cord palsy.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Department, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Unit, A,R,N,A,S, Ospedali Civico, Di Cristina e Benfratelli, Piazza N, Leotta 4, Palermo, 90127, Italy. farruggia.oep@ospedalecivicopa.org.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farruggia
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tropia
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cannella
authors.forename: Giuseppa
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Gaspare
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Oddo
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: D'Angelo