• Hideki Onishi, Chiaki Kawanishi, Masanari Onose, Tomoki Yamada, Hideyuki Saito, Akira Yoshida, and Kazumasa Noda.
• Department of Psychiatry, Kanagawa Prefecture Cancer Center, 1-1-2 Nakao, Asahi-ku, 241-0815 Yokohama, Japan. h-onishi@jg7.so-net.ne.jp
• Support Care Cancer. 2004 Aug 1;12(8):604-8.

AbstractAlthough Wernicke encephalopathy has been reported in the oncological literature, only one terminally ill cancer patient with Wernicke encephalopathy has been reported. Wernicke encephalopathy, a potentially reversible condition, may be unrecognized in terminally ill cancer patients. In this communication, we report three terminally ill cancer patients who developed Wernicke encephalopathy. Early recognition and subsequent treatment resulted in successful palliation of delirium. Two of the three patients did not show the classical triad of Wernicke encephalopathy. Common clinical symptoms were delirium and poor nutritional status. Intravenous thiamine administration dramatically improved the symptoms of delirium in all three patients. In terminally ill cancer patients, clinicians must remain aware of the possibility of Wernicke encephalopathy when patients with a poor nutritional status present with unexplained delirium. Early intervention may correct the symptoms and prevent irreversible brain damage and the quality of life for the patient may improve.

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