A 38-year-old African American female with refractory stage IV mycosis fungoides with large cell transformation was admitted to the hospital for initiation of ICE chemotherapy. Patient had extensive cutaneous and muscle involvement of the lymphoma and had failed multiple lines of chemotherapy regimens including romidepsin and rituximab, brentuximab, and gemcitabine. Laboratory testing prior to initiation of ICE therapy was normal except for low serum albumin level of 1.7 g/dL. Patient received ICE therapy with etoposide 100 mg/m2 on days 1 to 3, ifosfamide 5000 mg/m2 on day 2 infused over 24 hours, and carboplatin with an AUC of 5 on day 3. She was premedicated with aprepitant for prevention of nausea. She was alert and oriented prior to and during the infusion but became lethargic, somnolent, and confused within 6 to 8 hours of completion of ifosfamide infusion. Physical examination was significant for random jerky movements of both upper and lower extremities, twitching of the right eye, and somnolence. The patient’s evaluation for sudden neurological changes included complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, computed tomography scan of the head, and infectious workup (blood cultures, urine culture, and chest X-ray), all of which were negative. She received naloxone with no reversal of mental status changes. Based on the timing of the infusion and change in mental status, patient was diagnosed with IME and MB was immediately initiated at a dose of 50 mg every 4 hours. An improvement in the patient’s mental status was noticed within 12 hours of initiation of MB, and the patient was back to her baseline in 72 hours (received 18 total doses). Given the neurotoxicity, patient was not rechallenged with ifosfamide and was switched to a different chemotherapeutic regimen.
A 47-year-old African American male with stage III cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with large cell transformation presented to the hospital with shortness of breath, fatigue, and failure to thrive. The patient had progressed through multiple lines of chemotherapy including EPOCH (etoposide, prednisone, vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and doxorubicin), romidepsin, gemcitabine, brentuximab, and pralatrexate. At inpatient presentation, he had malignant pleural effusions, hypercalcemia, and leukocytosis with eosinophilia. Given the patient’s rapidly worsening clinical course, it was decided to start ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (ICE) chemotherapy with etoposide 100 mg/m2 on days 1 to 3, ifosfamide 5000 mg/ on day 2 infused over 24 hours, and carboplatin with an area under curve (AUC) of 5 on day 3. He was alert and oriented prior to and during the infusion but became delirious on day 3 of the regimen, 6 hours after the completion of the ifosfamide infusion. Physical examination did not reveal any stereotypical movements or twitching. His mental status worsened from initial agitation and confusion to drowsiness and eventually stupor. Diagnostic evaluation for acute mental status change including complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, ammonia level, and computed tomography scan of the head was negative. Infectious workup including blood cultures, urine culture, and chest X-ray did not reveal any infectious process contributing to the altered mental status. Thus, the patient’s acute altered mental status was attributed to IME. He was started on hydration, and 50 mg of intravenous MB was given every 4 hours. His mental status began to improve 16 hours after start of MB and was back to his baseline after 48 hours of treatment (received 12 total doses). The one cycle of ICE chemotherapy temporarily improved his disease but due to neurotoxicity, he was not rechallenged.