The role of botulinum toxin type A in the radiation fibrosis syndrome: a preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE

To describe the use of botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) in radiation fibrosis syndrome (RFS).

DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

SETTING

A large tertiary care cancer center.

PARTICIPANTS

Twenty-three consecutive patients treated for sequelae of RFS with BTX-A.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A description of the components of RFS thought to benefit from BTX-A injections and the patient's self-report of benefit from those injections.

RESULTS

The sequelae of RFS for which BTX-A injection was thought to be indicated include radiation-induced cervical dystonia in 18 (78%), trigeminal nerve or cervical plexus neuralgia in 10 (43%), trismus in 7 (30%), migraine in 3 (13%), and thoracic pain in 1 (4%) patient. Most (87%) patients self-reported benefit from the injections.

CONCLUSIONS

Initial clinical experience with the use of BTX-A as adjunctive treatment for select neuromuscular and musculoskeletal complications of RFS in a variety of cancer patients has been encouraging. Well-designed prospective studies are needed to clarify the potential beneficial role of BTX-A in specific sequelae of RFS.