The Cough from Hell: Diazepam for Intractable Cough in a Patient with Renal Cell Carcinoma

Cough is a common symptom in cancer. Its underlying cause should be managed when identified; otherwise, empiric treatment is the mainstay of symptom control. Cancer-related cough usually responds to radiation therapy, an opioid, or benzonatate, a peripheral anesthetic. We present the case of a patient with renal cell carcinoma hospitalized for intractable cough that failed to respond adequately to usual treatments, but improved with diazepam.