BACKGROUND: Bilateral vocal cord paralysis is uncommon. Most cases occur secondary to trauma, malignancy, surgery, or intubation. Also, it was reported as a side effect of Vinca alkaloids. METHODS: We report a patient with small cell lung cancer who developed bilateral vocal cord paralysis and needed to be intubated after treatment with cisplatin and etoposide. All workups excluded metastases as a cause of bilateral vocal cord paralysis. The patient required tracheostomy; she did not receive any further chemotherapy. After 11 weeks, vocal cord paralysis disappeared, tracheostomy was reversed, and the patient remained symptom free; however, 6 months later, the patient developed brain and liver metastases and died from her disease with no evidence of vocal cord paralysis. RESULTS: We report a case of reversible bilateral vocal cord paralysis that we believe to be secondary to cisplatin toxicity, which is an undescribed complication of this drug. CONCLUSION: Cisplatin can induce reversible bilateral vocal cord paralysis. The concurrent use of cisplatin and etoposide might have contributed to this complication in our patient.
BACKGROUND:Bilateral vocal cord paralysis is uncommon. Most cases occur secondary to trauma, malignancy, surgery, or intubation. Also, it was reported as a side effect of Vinca alkaloids. METHODS: We report a patient with small cell lung cancer who developed bilateral vocal cord paralysis and needed to be intubated after treatment with cisplatin and etoposide. All workups excluded metastases as a cause of bilateral vocal cord paralysis. The patient required tracheostomy; she did not receive any further chemotherapy. After 11 weeks, vocal cord paralysis disappeared, tracheostomy was reversed, and the patient remained symptom free; however, 6 months later, the patient developed brain and liver metastases and died from her disease with no evidence of vocal cord paralysis. RESULTS: We report a case of reversible bilateral vocal cord paralysis that we believe to be secondary to cisplatintoxicity, which is an undescribed complication of this drug. CONCLUSION:Cisplatin can induce reversible bilateral vocal cord paralysis. The concurrent use of cisplatin and etoposide might have contributed to this complication in our patient.