Abstract

To establish the effect of steroid premedication (SP) before cytosine arabinoside (AraC) on development of AraC fever, in our clinic, 179 high-dose AraC (2x1-3 gr/m2/dose x 1-3 days) administrations given to patients with acute lymphoblastic and myeloblastic leukemia (ALL, AML) were evaluated retrospectively. Although the outcome was better with SP and ALL, as to fever, there was no significant difference between the administrations in which (a) steroids (dexamethasone, methylprednisolone) were and weren’t given, (b) steroids were given 12-13 hours before AraC, just before AraC or both just before and after AraC (c) SP was given (as ‘just before AraC’) for AML and ALL patients. The frequency of AraC fever was similar during AraC cycles for which SP was and wasn’t administered in AML, ALL and ALL+AML patients as well. In conclusion, SP, in these styles had no role in preventing AraC fever, although its frequency in cycle basis was less than that in the literature. However, further studies are needed.

Keywords: high dose cytosine arabinoside, cytarabine, AraC, fever, leukemia

How to Cite

1.
Güvenir Ö, Develi A, Gül A, Olcay L. The effect of steroid premedication on drug fever developing after high dose cytosine arabinoside therapy. Çocuk Sağlığı ve Hastalıkları Dergisi 2017; 60: 7-15. Available from: https://cshd.org.tr/article/view/54