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Original Articles: Clinical

High incidence of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in patients receiving biweekly rituximab and cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone

, , , , &
Pages 797-801 | Received 12 Dec 2009, Accepted 13 Feb 2010, Published online: 31 Mar 2010
 

Abstract

The risk of infection with Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PCP) in patients undergoing chemotherapy is closely related to the intensity of corticosteroid exposure. PCP is uncommon with classical (3-weekly) R-CHOP, but the risk may be higher with biweekly R-CHOP (R-CHOP-14) due to the increased frequency of prednisolone pulses. Among 47 consecutive patients treated with R-CHOP-14 at our institution, five (11%) developed microbiologically proven PCP, with a further two (4%) having classical clinical and radiological features of PCP, but without microbiological confirmation. None of these patients were HIV-positive or had additional risk factors for PCP. Our experience suggests that PCP prophylaxis should be considered in institutions using R-CHOP-14 for the treatment of patients with aggressive lymphomas.

Acknowledgement

The authors would like to thank Dr. Harsha Sheorey for his help in preparing this manuscript.

Declaration of interest: This study is supported by St Vincent's Hospital Research Endowment Fund.

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