Seizures in patients with cancer.
L Nicolas Gonzalez CastroTracey A MilliganPublished in: Cancer (2020)
Seizures are common in patients with cancer and either result from brain lesions, paraneoplastic syndromes, and complications of cancer treatment or are provoked by systemic illness (metabolic derangements, infections). Evaluation should include a tailored history, neurologic examination, laboratory studies, neuroimaging, and electroencephalogram. In unprovoked seizures, antiepileptic drug (AED) treatment is required, and a nonenzyme-inducing AED is preferred. Treatment of the underlying cancer with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy also can help reduce seizures. Benzodiazepines are useful in the treatment of both provoked seizures and breakthrough epileptic seizures and as first-line treatment for status epilepticus. Counseling for safety is an important component in the care of a patient with cancer who has seizures. Good seizure management can be challenging but significantly improves the quality of life during all phases of care, including end-of-life care.
Keyphrases
- radiation therapy
- healthcare
- temporal lobe epilepsy
- papillary thyroid
- venous thromboembolism
- minimally invasive
- emergency department
- risk factors
- quality improvement
- smoking cessation
- coronary artery disease
- young adults
- human immunodeficiency virus
- hiv infected
- chronic pain
- resting state
- hiv testing
- antiretroviral therapy