Breakthrough reactions during rapid drug desensitization: Clinical outcome and risk factors.

BACKGROUND

Severe hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs) interfere with the administration of necessary drugs for patients; drug desensitization can be a good alternative strategy. Although rapid drug desensitization (RDD) has been shown to be safe and effective, some patients still experience breakthrough reactions (BTRs) during desensitization.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to estimate clinical outcomes of RDD and to identify risk factors for BTR.

METHODS

From January 2015 to December 2017, retrospective analysis was done in cancer patients with HSRs to chemotherapy and monoclonal antibody who underwent 3-bag, 12-step RDD in Asan Medical Center.

RESULTS

A total of 58 patients (42 females; mean age, 54.7 ± 11.0) underwent 234 desensitization procedures. The most common underlying malignancy was gynecologic cancer (n = 26, 44.8%), and platinum-based drugs were common target drugs (135 cases of 36 patients). Twenty-six of 58 patients (44.8%) experienced 56 BTRs, whereas 178 cases (76.1%) of total desensitization did not show any reactions. Among them, 12 patients (20.7%) had moderate BTRs requiring systemic steroids, and 3 (5.1%) experienced severe BTRs requiring epinephrine administration. Logistic regression analysis revealed more severe initial HSRs (OR = 17.94, 95% CI = 1.78-181.68, P = .015), drug allergy history (OR = 7.83, 95% CI = 1.48-41.44, P = .035), and frequency of exposure to the chemotherapeutic agents (OR = 1.14, 95% CI = 1.01-1.28, P = .016) increased the risk of moderate to severe BTR.

CONCLUSION

The standardized 12-step protocol for RDD was effective and safe for most patients. Severity of initial HSR, history of drug allergy, and previous high exposure to the chemotherapeutic agent showed a positive correlation with BTR above moderate grade. Studies are needed to propose an individualized protocol according to patient-specific risk assessment.