Temporary Dysarthria Induced by Irinotecan-Case Report of This Rare Adverse Event

This report describes the case of a patient with dysarthria during the administration of the third cycle of Folfiri for the treatment of metastatic colon cancer. After a thorough neurological examination and neuroimaging, structural causes were excluded and thus the dysarthria was attributed to the irinotecan infusion. A slowing down of the infusion rate to 180 min during the 15 subsequent cycles led to the cessation of the episodes of dysarthria. In 2016, it was estimated there will be 134,490 new cases of colorectal cancer with a five-year survival rate of 21% among patients with metastatic disease. As Irinotecan is often part of the therapeutic regimen in such cases, both in the first and second-line setting, there is a need to report rare adverse outcomes in order to find out ways to better manage of these events. The mechanism by which Irinotecan causes dysarthria is unknown and further research in this area is warranted.