Risk Factor for Rash in Patients Receiving Cytarabine and Idarubicin Induction Therapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Background/aim: Rash is a common adverse event (AE) observed during cytarabine and idarubicin induction therapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Previous studies have highlighted the challenge in predicting the onset and duration of rash. This study aimed to determine the factors that affect the onset of rash in patients receiving induction therapy for AML.

Patients and methods: This retrospective study involved 97 patients with AML who received induction chemotherapy with cytarabine and idarubicin at the Department of Hematology, Kyushu University Hospital between January 2008 and June 2022. The factors associated with rash were identified through a multivariate stepwise logistic regression analysis. Subsequently, the patient's characteristics were compared between those with risk factors and those without risk factors using a matched pair analysis.

Results: Pre-existing leukopenia [odds ratio (OR)=3.294; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.272-8.531] and good performance status (PS=0) (OR=2.717; 95%CI=1.087-6.792) were significant risk factors for rash development. Conversely, the matched pair analysis indicated that patients with pre-existing leukopenia, excluding those with a PS score of 0, exhibited a significantly (p=0.015) higher incidence of rash than those without it.

Conclusion: Both multivariate logistic regression analysis and matched pair analysis identified pre-existing leukopenia as a primary risk factor for rash development associated with cytarabine and idarubicin chemotherapy.