Delayed Seizure Associated with Paclitaxel‐Cremophor EL in a Patient with Early‐Stage Breast Cancer

• Published in: Pharmacotherapy 2009-08, Vol.29 (8), p.993-996
• Main Authors: O'Connor, Tracey L., Kossoff, Ellen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adjuvant chemotherapy; Adult; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic - adverse effects; Biological and medical sciences; breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Cremophor EL; delayed seizure; emulsifying agent; Female; Glycerol - administration & dosage; Glycerol - adverse effects; Glycerol - analogs & derivatives; Gynecology. Andrology. Obstetrics; Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy; Humans; Mammary gland diseases; Medical sciences; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; neurotoxicity; paclitaxel; Paclitaxel - administration & dosage; Paclitaxel - adverse effects; Pharmaceutical Vehicles - administration & dosage; Pharmaceutical Vehicles - adverse effects; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Seizures - chemically induced; Time Factors; tonic‐clonic seizure; Tumors
• ISSN: 0277-0008; 1875-9114
• DOI: 10.1592/phco.29.8.993

Paclitaxel, a microtubule stabilizer, is an effective agent for treating cancer of the breast, ovary, head and neck, and lung. Because paclitaxel is insoluble in water, it is formulated with the micelle‐forming Cremophor EL. Neurologic toxicity is well described with both the drug and this carrier, with most toxicities manifesting as peripheral neuropathy, motor neuropathy, autonomic neuropathy, and myopathy. Toxic effects on the central nervous system, such as seizures or encephalopathy, have been rarely reported; however, the seizures reported were closely related to the time of infusion. We describe a 41‐year‐old woman with no history of seizures who was treated with paclitaxel for breast cancer. Four days after the drug was infused, she developed a generalized tonic‐clonic seizure that could not be attributed to other causes. The patient was treated with phenytoin and was able to complete her adjuvant chemotherapy with nab‐paclitaxel without further events. Her condition was neurologically stable without phenytoin for the next 6 months. Use of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale indicated a possible association (score of 3) between the delayed seizure and paclitaxel or its solvent, Cremophor EL. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for seizure activity in patients who receive paclitaxel formulated with Cremophor EL.