[Acute tongue necrosis provoked by epirubicin-cyclophosphamide treatment for invasive ductal breast cancer].

CASE: Unilateral necrosis of the tongue is an uncommon symptom of different rare diseases. Previously, it had only been described as an infrequent complication of temporal arteritis or as a side effect of therapy with ergotamine. We present a case of unilateral necrosis of the tongue in a 62-year-old woman with invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast treated with epirubicin and cyclophosphamide.
RESULTS: The necrosis led to a rapid swelling of the tongue and consequently to an airway obstruction necessitating a tracheotomy. After excision of the necrosis, the swelling of the tongue and the airway obstruction subsided. DISCUSSION: Because of the temporal connection between the occurrence of the necrosis and the administration of chemotherapy, an adverse effect of the administered drugs seems most likely. However, a paraneoplastic pathogenesis cannot be completely excluded. The occurrence of unilateral necrosis of the tongue is a rare complication of the above-mentioned conditions. However, it is important to be aware of the different causes leading to this rare disease in order to initiate the right therapy.