FOCAL DYSTONIA AFTER CHEMOTHERAPY - A CASE SERIES

Dystonia is a rare neurologic disorder of the basal ganglia presenting with involuntary twisting or turning spasm of muscles. Movements loca lized to the face, eyes, or neck generally present during late adultho od. Cranial dystonia is usually idiopathic but may be caused by trauma or medications. Of 145 patients with focal dystonia referred to India na University over four years, four women had the onset of face and ne ck symptoms eight days to 34 months after completing treatment with ch emotherapy alone or combined with radiation therapy. Two patients were treated with 5-FU, one received doxorubicin and one was treated with both. Both drugs have been associated with transient parkinsonism, but no chemotherapeutic medications have been reported to cause dystonia. Three patients remain free of demonstrable malignancy. A possible ass ociation of chemotherapy and focal dystonia has not been previously de scribed.