Pancreatitis during therapy of acute myeloid leukemia: cytarabine related?

Acute pancreatitis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been rarely associated with cytarabine therapy. This report attempts to characterize this toxicity.

Criteria for pancreatitis was prospectively defined. Seven patients with pancreatitis were identified from an AML database and a clinical study at two tertiary care centers (n = 134). Their records were retrospectively reviewed.

Seven patients with pancreatitis complicating AML therapy were identified. Median age was 36 (range 25-73) years. Median amylase was 184 (range 77-552) U/l and median lipase was 1026 (range 630-6087) U/l. The patients had received high dose bolus cytarabine (2 g/m2 i.v. bolus every 12 hours; n = 2), and continuous infusion cytarabine followed by high-dose cytarabine (100 mg/m2 i.v. CI days 1-7 then 2 g/m2 i.v. bolus every 12 hours days 8-10; n = 2), or standard dose continuous infusion cytarabine (200 mg/m2/d; n = 3) prior to developing pancreatitis. Pancreatitis occurred at a median of 10 days following day one of cytarabine administration with resolution at a median of 11 days after initial diagnosis. Six patients did not suffer major complications. One patient died of causes unrelated to pancreatitis. Five of six patients was rechallenged and all remained free of pancreatitis. One patient subsequently did develop pancreatitis on a later rechallenge.

Pancreatitis in the setting of AML therapy may be an infrequent and self-limited toxicity of cytarabine. A schedule dependent toxicity with cytarabine was not identified.