Guillain-Barré syndrome complicating mobilization therapy in a case of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Giovanni D'Arena1, Maria Luigia Vigliotti, Vincenzo Pizza

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, S Luca Hospital, Vallo della Lucania (Sa), Italy. giovannidarena@libero.it

Leukemia & Lymphoma
|September 14, 2004
PubMed

We report a case of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) which appeared after mobilization therapy in a patient with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). After obtaining a partial remission with four cycles of fludarabine at standard dose, the patient underwent to high-dose Cytoxan in order to mobilize CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. During neutropenia the patient experienced fever of unknown origin (FUO) and subsequently developed GBS with normalization of his neurologic condition after 2 months. It is possible that a viral-induced activation of an antigen-specific T and B-cell clone caused a local inflammation and toxicity of Schwann cells with demyelination and axonal damage with a self-limited course.