Myocardial ischemia induced by topical use of 5-fluorouracil

An 85-year-old woman, with known stable angina pectoris, was prescribed 5-fluorouracil cream to treat a small basal cell carcinoma on the forehead. Half an hour after application the patient developed her typical ischemic pain which persisted for 2 hours. Rechallenge, during hospitalization, resulted in recurrence of symptoms that were effectively controlled with sublingual isosorbide dinitrate. Prophylactic therapy with nitroglycerin patch enabled further use of the 5-fluorouracil cream for the next month.