[Cerebral vasculitis associated with gemcitabine]

Abstract

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and gemcitabine was given to a 50-year-old woman suffering from transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Whereas the first cycle was administered without major side effects, the patient experienced a generalized tonic-clonic seizure and a prolonged cognitive deficit with the second cycle. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain was consistent with cerebral vasculitis. The short interval between the application of gemcitabine and the neurological deterioration suggests a causal relationship. Although recent reports have linked this drug with leukoencephalopathy and vasculitis in various localizations, this is the first case of cerebral vasculitis associated with gemcitabine.