Tongue edema as an adverse drug reaction to low-dose olanzapine in a cancer patient receiving palliative care

Palliat Support Care. 2024 Apr 2:1-2. doi: 10.1017/S147895152400052X. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTOBJECTIVES: Olanzapine is an atypical neuroleptic indicated for treatment of various psychiatric disorders, but it has also several indications in palliative care (PC) patients: opioids misuse, nausea not related to chemotherapy, anorexia-cachexia syndrome, and sleep and mood disorders. Peripheral and facial edema are a rare side effect of the treatment with olanzapine. I report a case of an advanced cancer patient cared receiving PC who developed moderate tongue edema on day 1 of a low dose of olanzapine.METHODS: A patient with advance and metastatic colon cancer presented moderate tongue edema on day 1 of a low dose (2.5 mg) of olanzapine for the treatment of his nausea, anorexia-cachexia syndrome, and mood disorder (mainly anxiety).RESULTS: The patient discontinued the drug with resolution of the edema. The day after he called our outpatients' service, a prompt physical examination, together with blood tests, excluded other differential diagnosis.SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the second case reporting head and neck localized edema due to olanzapine treatment in a patient with advanced cancer receiving PC. Considering the increasing use of olanzapine as off-label treatment in these patients (often for cluster symptoms), our report could help clinicians in daily practice and researchers on put a deeper focus on indications for olanzapine in PC....
Source: Palliative and Supportive Care - Category: Palliative Care Authors: Source Type: research