Hydroxyurea-related toxicity in 3,411 patients with Ph'-negative MPN

• Published in: American journal of hematology Vol. 87; no. 5; pp. 552 - 554
• Main Authors: Antonioli, Elisabetta, Guglielmelli, Paola, Pieri, Lisa, Finazzi, MariaChiara, Rumi, Elisa, Martinelli, Vincenzo, Vianelli, Nicola, Luigia Randi, Maria, Bertozzi, Irene, De Stefano, Valerio, Za, Tommaso, Rossi, Elena, Ruggeri, Marco, Elli, Elena, Cacciola, Rossella, Cacciola, Emma, Pogliani, Enrico, Rodeghiero, Francesco, Baccarani, Michele, Passamonti, Francesco, Finazzi, Guido, Rambaldi, Alessandro, Bosi, Alberto, Cazzola, Mario, Barbui, Tiziano, Vannucchi, Alessandro M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2012; Wiley-Liss; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antimetabolites - adverse effects; Antimetabolites - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - chemically induced; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - epidemiology; Drug Eruptions - epidemiology; Drug Eruptions - etiology; Female; Fever - chemically induced; Fever - epidemiology; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Hematology; Humans; Hydroxyurea - adverse effects; Hydroxyurea - therapeutic use; Keratosis, Actinic - chemically induced; Keratosis, Actinic - epidemiology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Multicenter Studies as Topic - statistics & numerical data; Myeloproliferative Disorders - complications; Myeloproliferative Disorders - drug therapy; Myeloproliferative Disorders - genetics; Pneumonia - epidemiology; Pneumonia - etiology; Retrospective Studies; Skin Neoplasms - chemically induced; Skin Neoplasms - epidemiology; Skin Ulcer - chemically induced; Skin Ulcer - epidemiology; Young Adult; Antineoplastic agent; Human; Hydroxycarbamide; Antimetabolic; Hematology; Toxicity; pH
• ISSN: 0361-8609; 1096-8652; 1096-8652
• DOI: 10.1002/ajh.23160

Hydroxyurea (Hydroxycarbamide; HU) is commonly used for the long-term treatment of patients with Philadelphia-chromosome negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). It is considered a first-choice agent for the treatment of these disorders as underlined by the European Leukemia Net Consensus Conference [1], although it is formally approved for this indication in some countries only. The drug is reportedly well tolerated in the large majority of subjects, although systemic and/or localized toxicities have been reported. Consensus criteria for definition of "intolerance" to HU have been described;patients who develop intolerance are candidate for second-line therapy and, more recently, for investigational drugs. However, no epidemiologic information about the occurrence of the most clinically significant HU-associated adverse events is yet available. In this study, the authors report on a multicenter series of 3,411 patients who were treated with HU among which 184, accounting for 5% of total, developed significant drug-related toxicities. These data provide an estimate of the frequency and a detailed characterization of clinically significant HU-related toxicities; these information have relevance for the management of MPN patients who require second-line therapy after developing HU-related intolerance.