Chemotherapy-induced spontaneous pneumothorax (SP) has been described sporadically in chemosensitive tumors, particularly sarcoma, with multiple lung metastases. We present a patient who developed SP following rapid regression of bulky mediastinal lymphoma. Immediately on chest tube insertion, the lung recovered and further chemotherapy could be delivered uneventfully. We suggest that (1) chemotherapy-induced SP should be included amongst oncologic emergencies and that (2) a high degree of awareness of this complication is required.

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is known to cause multifocal cerebral demyelination, which is pathologically related to a central inflammatory demyelinating process. To date, no case of peripheral neuropathy has been described after the administration of 5-FU alone. The authors describe two patients who had peripheral neuropathy that developed while they were receiving 5-FU-based chemotherapy.

The clinical, radiological and pathological findings in a 28-year-old female patient who developed aggressive meningioma 20 years after prophylatic cranial irradiation (PCI) for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) are described here. Only four cases of late atypical/aggressive meningioma following PCI were detected in a thorough search of the literature. The high cure rate in childhood ALL, attributable to aggressive chemotherapy and PCI, is capable of inducing secondary brain tumour, including aggressive meningioma.

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A retrospective analysis of 81 stage I seminoma patients irradiated at the Northern Israel Oncology Center between 1968 and 1993 was undertaken. During this period, 5 (6%) patients relapsed, all outside the initial treatment volume, with a median time of 6.6 (range 1–12) months to relapse. Three patients were salvaged with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. The policy of adjuvant radiotherapy resulted in a high probability of cure and decreased relapse rate. Early relapse is a rare event in properly irradiated stage I seminoma which is highly curable with a cisplatin-containing regimen. Recurrences tend to occur outside the treated radiation volume.