Title |
Fatal Liver and Bone Marrow Toxicity by Combination Treatment of Dichloroacetate and Artesunate in a Glioblastoma Multiforme Patient: Case Report and Review of the Literature
|
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Published in |
Frontiers in oncology, October 2016
|
DOI | 10.3389/fonc.2016.00204 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Martin Uhl, Stefan Schwab, Thomas Efferth |
Abstract |
A 52-year-old male patient was treated with standard radiochemotherapy with temozolomide for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). After worsening of his clinical condition, further tumor-specific treatment was unlikely to be successful, and the patient seeked help from an alternative practitioner, who administered a combination of dichloroacetate (DCA) and artesunate (ART). A few days later, the patient showed clinical and laboratory signs of liver damage and bone marrow toxicity (leukopenia, thrombocytopenia). Despite successful restoration of laboratory parameters upon symptomatic treatment, the patient died 10 days after the infusion. DCA bears a well-documented hepatotoxic risk, while ART can be considered as safe concerning hepatotoxicity. Bone marrow toxicity can appear upon ART application as reduced reticulocyte counts and disturbed erythropoiesis. It can be assumed that the simultaneous use of both drugs caused liver injury and bone marrow toxicity. The compassionate use of DCA/ART combination therapy outside of clinical trials cannot be recommended for GBM treatment. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 40 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 18% |
Student > Bachelor | 7 | 18% |
Researcher | 4 | 10% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 3 | 8% |
Lecturer | 3 | 8% |
Other | 8 | 20% |
Unknown | 8 | 20% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 7 | 18% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 5 | 13% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 10% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 3 | 8% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 2 | 5% |
Other | 9 | 23% |
Unknown | 10 | 25% |