Introduction:

Rapid desensitization to drugs induces a temporary tolerance to chemotherapeutics causing hypersensitivity reactions.

Objective:

To evaluate the rapid desensitization protocol in an outpatient setting in patients who had hypersensitivity reactions to cytotoxic drugs.

Methods:

An observational and retrospective study was carried out in 30 cancer patients, who developed hypersensitivity reactions, from 2016 to 2018. They were treated in the outpatient Oncology service at Hermanos Ameijeiras Surgical Clinical Hospital. These subjects were classified according to intensity; demographic variables, clinical characteristics, and symptoms were analyzed. A twelve-step protocol based on three dilutions of the drug was used. Premedication was administered in all cases. Descriptive statistics and for the association between variables were performed. Chi-square statistical test was used.

Results:

The median age was 54 years (23; 77). Predominance was observed in women, those under 60 years of age, primary colon tumor, history of allergy, oxaliplatin as the drug most implicated, HRH during infusion, and moderate intensity. Skin and gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent. The planned chemotherapy was completed with the application of the protocol, in all 30 patients (145 additional cycles). There were only eight desensitization with mild skin-type reactions. 94.5% of desensitizations did not show any reaction.

Conclusions:

It constitutes the first national report of successful use of a rapid desensitization protocol to cytostatics that proved to be effective and safe in the outpatient setting with multidisciplinary management.

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