ArticlePharmacotherapy2026
Comparative Neurotoxicity of Polymyxin B and Colistin in Patients With Cancer.
Article in Pharmacotherapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Comparative Neurotoxicity of Polymyxin B and Colistin in Patients With Cancer.Pharmacotherapy · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe polymyxins, polymyxin B and colistin, are last-line options for the treatment of infections caused by drug-resistant gram-negative organisms. The comparative neurotoxicity of these agents using contemporary dosing is poorly understood. We sought to compare the incidence of neurotoxicity among recipients of polymyxin B or colistin.
methodsThis was a single-center, retrospective cohort study of all patients who received colistin or polymyxin B for the treatment of a serious gram-negative infection between March 2016 and April 2020. The primary outcome of interest was treatment-emergent neurotoxicity, defined as new-onset perioral paresthesia, non-oral paresthesia, peripheral neuropathy, seizure, diaphragmatic paralysis, or other neurotoxicity. Bivariate analyses were performed using Fisher's exact test and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test; no multivariable analyses were performed.
resultsA total of 82 patients receiving polymyxin B (n = 39) or colistin (n = 43) were identified. Neurotoxicity, nearly exclusively paresthesia, was more commonly seen in recipients of polymyxin B (10/39 evaluable patients, 26%) versus colistin (1/42 evaluable patients, 2%; p < 0.01). Neurotoxicity most commonly developed on the first day of therapy and resolved with discontinuation of therapy or prolongation of the infusion duration.
conclusionsPolymyxin B is associated with significantly more neurotoxicity than colistin in unadjusted analyses. This potential risk should be considered when choosing between these two agents.
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