Azithromycin Exposure Following Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Is Associated with an Increased Risk of Cancer Relapse in Acute Leukemia

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) of the lung, also known as bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), is associated with high mortality, but treatment with the combination of fluticasone, azithromycin, and montelukast (FAM) stabilizes lung function in the majority of patients. Recently, a randomized controlled trial evaluating azithromycin given at the time of conditioning for GVHD prevention was closed prematurely due to an increased risk of cancer relapse in azithromycin recipients. We evaluated whether exposure to azithromycin after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT), primarily for treatment of BOS, was also associated with a higher rate of cancer progression.

Source: Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation - January 31, 2019 Category: Hematology Authors: Badar Patel, Ajay Sheshadri, Rima M Saliba, Gabriela Rondon, Tahreem Ahmed, Muhammad Hasan Arain, Rohtesh S. Mehta, Uday R. Popat, Chitra M. Hosing, Lara Bashoura, Burton F. Dickey, Richard E. Champlin, Amin M. Alousi Tags: 326 Source Type: research