TURKISH JOURNAL OF ONCOLOGY 2013 , Vol 28 , Num 3
Cerebral venous thrombosis presenting with headache as the only symptom in a patient with metastatic colon cancer treated with bevacizumab: case report
Nesrin HELVACI YILMAZ,1 Osman Cem YILMAZ,2 Taflan SAHLEPÇİ3
1Universal Grup Aksaray Hastanesi, Nöroloji Kliniği, İstanbul
2Universal Grup İtalyan Hastanesi, Genel Cerrahi Kliniği, İstanbul
3Universal Grup İtalyan Hastanesi, Tıbbi Onkoloji Kliniği, İstanbul
Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody exerting its effect through binding vascular endothelial growth factor and is used in addition to standard chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colon cancer. Although it usually has tolerable side effects, it is known to increase the risk of thromboembolism. The presented case had severe headache during bevacizumab therapy and according to the results of investigations, the patient was diagnosed as cerebral venous thrombosis. Cerebral venous thrombosis is a rare complication of this treatment and should certainly be kept in mind in the differential diagnosis, even in presence of normal neurological examination findings. Keywords : Headache; bevacizumab; cerebral venous thrombosis