Fanconi syndrome associated with cephalothin and gentamicin therapy

A case is reported of Fanconi syndrome and nonliquric renal failure, following a brief course of cephalothin and gentamicin, in a patient with diffuse histiocytic lymphoma. These drugs, especially when used in combination, have been associated with nephrotoxicity manifested as acute tubular necrosis and altered proximal tubular function, but biochemical evidence for generalized proximal tubular dysfunction has not been accurately defined. Thus far, only two other antibiotics, degraded tetracycline and streptozotocin, have been implicated in producing an acquired Fanconi syndrome.