levetiracetam and Bone-Neoplasms

Nearly 75% of patients with metastatic melanoma develop brain metastases. We here report the case of an 83 year-old woman hospitalized for secondarily generalized clonic seizures of the left leg with partial convulsive seizures in the Resuscitation Department. Melanoma resection of the left ankle had been performed 6 months before her admission. Neurological examination showed left ataxic crural monoparesis. Electro-encephalogram showed central and right frontal focus with left-sided dissemination. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain showed multiple supratentorial and subtentorial encephalic lesions with varying size and shape, with T1 hypersignal (A and A'), haemorrhage on T2*-weighted sequences (B and B'), gadolinium-enhancing T1 with perilesional edema on Flair sequences. Positron emission tomography (PET) showed multiple lymph node and bone metastases. Lymph node biopsy was negative for VE1 antibody with no BRAFV600E mutation by immunohistochemistry. An increase in the number of metastatic lesions was observed during control brain CT scan despite 10 brain radiotherapy sessions motivating palliative care. Epileptic seizures were controlled with levetiracetam. In patient with multiple hemorrhagic and spontaneous brain lesions, it is essential to obtain informations on patient's history of melanoma and to perform a thorough dermatologic examination in order to investigate its cause and to establish adequate therapeutic treatment.

Topics: Aged, 80 and over; Anticonvulsants; Bone Neoplasms; Brain Neoplasms; Female; Humans; Levetiracetam; Lymphatic Metastasis; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Melanoma; Positron-Emission Tomography; Seizures; Skin Neoplasms

To report a case of delayed methotrexate (MTX) elimination while receiving concomitant levetiracetam.. A 46-year-old man with relapsed osteosarcoma of the base of the skull receiving high-dose MTX tolerated his first cycle of MTX with elimination to nontoxic MTX levels (≤0.1 µmol/L) within 90 hours. After hospital discharge, the patient experienced seizures secondary to brain metastasis and started on levetiracetam, which was continued as maintenance therapy. The patient experienced delayed MTX elimination during cycles 2, 3, and 4 while receiving levetiracetam. On average, elimination to nontoxic MTX levels took 130 hours (106-144 hours). Before the fifth cycle of MTX, lorazepam was substituted for the levetiracetam. MTX was eliminated to nontoxic levels within 95 hours. During all cycles, the patient received standard supportive care and serum creatinine remained stable. No other drugs known to interact with MTX were administered.. This possible drug interaction has only been reported once in the pediatric population. With a score of 6 on the Drug Interaction Probability Scale for evaluating causation of drug interactions, it is probable that the delayed MTX elimination was caused by an interaction with levetiracetam.. Coadministration of levetiracetam and MTX may result in delayed elimination of MTX, increasing the likelihood of toxicity. Consideration should be given to temporarily switching from levetiracetam to another antiepileptic (ie, lorazepam) to prevent this interaction. This is particularly important in those experiencing delayed elimination with prior cycles of concomitant MTX and levetiracetam or those at greater risk for MTX toxicity.

Topics: Anticonvulsants; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Bone Neoplasms; Drug Interactions; Humans; Levetiracetam; Male; Methotrexate; Middle Aged; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Osteosarcoma; Piracetam