Neurologic Toxicity Associated with High-Dose Metronidazole Therapy

Excerpt

Special interest in hypoxic-cell radiation sensitizers and their potential application in the treatment of malignant tumors has been stimulated by the report of Urtasun and associates (1) on their experience in patients with highly anaplastic astrocytomas. The authors found a significant improvement in survival for patients treated with a combination of metronidazole and radiation therapy compared to patients treated with radiation therapy alone. Toxicity of the high-dose metronidazole therapy used in this and earlier studies by Urtasun and colleagues (2) was limited to anorexia, nausea, and vomiting. These findings could encourage a more widespread use of high-dose metronidazole as a