ALL relapse with multiple cranial nerve palsies and toxic leukoencephalopathy: treatment failure with treatment toxicity

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is one of the most common malignancies of childhood. ALL is treated with high doses of methotrexate (MTX) to prevent central nervous system (CNS) and haematological relapses. MTX is administered intravenously and via intrathecal route.1 MTX can cause neurotoxicity by disrupting CNS folate homeostasis or by direct neuronal damage. MTX-induced acute toxic leukoencephalopathy can result in acute neurological deficit, seizures or encephalopathy.2 We report a 27-year-old diagnosed case of ALL who presented with neurological symptoms 2 years after she was started with intensive and maintenance phase of chemotherapy. She took multiple cycles (24) of intrathecal MTX in her intensive phase and …