Vitae
Dr Tremont-Lukats is an Assistant Professor in the Neuro-Oncology Department of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Peer viewpoint
The Toxicity of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy on the Central Nervous System
- Ivo W. Tremont-Lukats, MD
- Available online 26 April 2012.
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.suponc.2012.04.001,
Central neurotoxicity of chemotherapy and radiotherapy is so frequent that every clinician should recognize and treat this complication, preferably with a neurologist experienced in these cases. Unfortunately, in most neurology and oncology training programs in the United States, there is very little exposure to the central neurotoxicity of anticancer drugs and other modalities. Yet, the importance of the topic is high and will always be.
One of the main forces driving the knowledge behind this area began at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with Posner [1] and [2] and in Europe with Hildebrand. [3] Others have understood that the effective management of CNS toxicity is as important as the treatment of brain tumors in neuro-oncology and are now making efforts in spreading the message: we must learn to recognize, treat, or prevent the neurotoxicity of anticancer therapies. In the past 10 years, there have been reviews on neurological complications; [4] and [5] and yet there is still little interest, and research is a low priority.
In this issue of The Journal of Supportive Oncology , Rinne and collaborators present a welcome update on this often neglected aspect of neuro-oncology. They present a complex problem in an easy flow of ideas, beginning with the neurotoxicity of radiotherapy, then including the contribution of chemotherapy and novel therapies targeted to CNS morbidity. This review is thorough, up to date, and one of the few published by a nonneurological journal. Enjoy. 1
References2
- J.B. Posner. Neurological complications of systemic cancer. Med Clin North Am. 1979;63(4):783–800.
- R.A. Patchell, J.B. Posner. Neurologic complications of systemic cancer. Neurol Clin . 1985;3(4):729–750.
- J. Hildebrand. Neurological Complications of cancer chemotherapy. Curr Opin Oncol. 2006;18(4):321–324.
- C. Soussain, D. Ricard, J.R. Fike, J.J. Mazeron, D. Psimaras, J.Y. Delattre.
CNS complications of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Lancet. 2009;374(9701):1639–1651.
Commentary on “Central Nervous System Complications of Cancer Therapy” by Rinne, Lee, and Wen (page ___)
Published Online:
- Corresponding Author: Ivo W. Tremont-Lukats, MD, Neuro-Oncology Department, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030
Conflict of Interest Disclosures: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.
PubMed ID in brackets
Copyright © 2012 Published by Elsevier Inc.