Key elements in hypersensitivity reactions to chemotherapy: experience with rapid drug desensitization in gynaecological cancer in a Tertiary Hospital
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Authors Information
1Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
2Department of Gynecology, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
3Coimbra Clinical Academic Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
4Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
*These authors contributed equally to the work, being the first two authors of the manuscript
History
Published online: 16 April 2021
Accepted: 23 March 2021
Received: 27 October 2020
SUMMARY
Rapid drug desensitization (RDD) is a procedure performed when no alternative drug is considered equally effective. The aim of our study is to describe the experience with RDD to cytostatics in patients being treated for gynaecological cancer in a Tertiary Hospital, over a period of 5 years. In this paper, we review 22 cases and 107 episodes of RDD; 86.3% of patients had advanced disease and the mortality rate at the time of data collection was 50.0%. RDD was performed on 81.8% patients for platinum, 13.6% for taxanes, and 4.5% for anthracyclines. The reintroduction of antineoplastic drugs in all patients with a previous history of immediate hypersensitivity reaction demonstrated the safety and efficacy of this procedure. There was serious complication (anaphylaxis) in only one case.
