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Updated: Oct 17, 2025

Nerve Excitability Assessment in Chemotherapy-induced Neurotoxicity
Published on: April 26, 2012
Neurologic Complications in Patients with Cancer
Kathryn B Holroyd1, Daniel B Rubin2, Henrikas Vaitkevicius3
1Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract:
Neurologic symptoms are commonly seen in patients with cancer and can be among the most challenging to diagnose and manage. It is often difficult to determine if new neurologic symptoms are secondary to direct effects of a malignant lesion, systemic complications of disease, paraneoplastic disorders, or side effects of cancer treatment itself. However, early diagnosis and treatment of each of these conditions can improve patients' quality of life and long-term functional outcomes. In this review, we describe a systematic approach to the diagnosis of new neurologic symptoms in patients with known malignancy. We have categorized the neurologic complications of cancer through a mechanistic approach, with an emphasis on ascertaining underlying pathophysiology to guide treatment choice. This review focuses on the acute neurologic complications of cancer that require hospital admission.
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