Unusual presentation of cis-platinum neuropathy

Abstract

Symptoms and signs of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II (DDP) neuropathy usually develop during treatment and stabilize or improve when DDP is stopped. We report three patients whose symptoms began 3 to 8 weeks after the last dose of DDP and progressed over 1 or 2 months to moderate-marked disability. The clinical picture in each was consistent with DDP neuropathy, and no other cause could be identified. Two of the patients improved over 8 and 27 months to become asymptomatic; the other died 2 months after presentation. It is important to recognize that DDP neuropathy can present after treatment has been discontinued since the clinical picture mimics the paraneoplastic dorsal root ganglionitis, which has a different prognosis.