Paclitaxel-carboplatin chemotherapy does not cause encephalopathy in patients with ovarian cancer: A prospective EEG mapping study in 28 patients

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate possible effects of a paclitaxel containing chemotherapy, on the central nervous system (CNS) in women with ovarian cancel: Materials and Methods: Twenty-eight women with histologically documented epithelial ovarian carcinoma and treated with a combination chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel and carboplatin entered the study. Patients were tested with resting EEG (R-EEG) before and after chemotherapy. Results: Twenty of the 28 patients responded to the chemotherapy (71%). Eleven patients (39%) developed peripheral neurotoxicity. A decrease of beta power and an increase of delta and theta power as well as a deceleration of the total centroid frequency clearly demonstrated a reduced vigilance in patients with ovarian cancer compared to healthy controls. On the other hand, the observed increase of beta power; a decrease of delta and theta power; and an acceleration of the total centroid from pre- to post-treatment demonstrated an improvement of vigilance in patients with ovarian cancer after, treatment with paclitaxel/carboplatin. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that chemotherapy consisting of paclitaxel and carboplatin does not cause adverse effects on the central nervous system. Improved vigilance was measured in patients with ovarian cancer after chemotherapy.