Dermatological Toxicity of Hydroxycarbamide

COMPLICATIONS OF ANTITUMOR TREATMENT ,

IN Subortseva, AL Melikyan, EA Gilyazitdinova, TI Kolosheinova, EI Pustovaya, EK Egorova, AM Kovrigina, AB Sudarikov, AO Abdullaev

National Medical Hematology Research Center, 4a Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167

For correspondence: Irina Nikolaevna Subortseva, MD, PhD, 4a Novyi Zykovskii pr-d, Moscow, Russian Federation, 125167; e-mail: soubortseva@yandex.ru.

For citation: Subortseva IN, Melikyan AL, Gilyazitdinova EA, et al. Dermatological Toxicity of Hydroxycarbamide. Clinical oncohematology. 2018;11(3):252–58.

DOI: 10.21320/2500-2139-2018-11-3-252-258

ABSTRACT

Hydroxycarbamide is an antitumor agent mainly used for treatment of Ph-negative myeloproliferative disorders and sickle cell disease. The development of skin ulcers is a rare but serious adverse event in long-term antitumor therapy. Hydroxycarbamide-induced ulcers are often multiple and bilateral, and usually occur in the lower legs, although they can occur in other regions of the body. The ulcers are small-sized and shallow with sharp margins and yellow fibrine-covered base. They cause constant severe, difficult to treat pain which is a characteristic sign. The drug withdrawal usually leads to spontaneous healing of ulcers. Regular dermatologic screening must be obligatory for all the patients receiving hydroxycarbamide. The present paper provides a literature review on dermatological toxicity of hydroxycarbamide and a clinical case description.

Keywords: hydroxycarbamide, adverse events, dermatologic screening, Ph-negative chronic myeloproliferative disorders.

Received: February 7, 2018

Accepted: May 4, 2018

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