Recurrent palmar–plantar erythrodysaesthesia following high‐dose cytarabine treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract: Palmar–plantar erythrodysaesthesia (PPE) is an uncommon cutaneous complication of cytotoxic chemotherapy which generally presents as a painful erythema involving the palms and soles. It has been suggested that PPE caused by cytarabine does not recur with subsequent cytarabine re‐challenge. We report a patient with recurrent, increasingly severe episodes of PPE, ultimately complicated by a severe bullous eruption, following successive cycles of high‐dose cytarabine for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Contrary to previous recommendations, our experience cautions against the further use of high‐dose cytarabine in patients who develop PPE, and is a timely reminder of the potential toxicity of this agent, which is now increasingly being used as first‐line treatment in the management of haematologic malignancies.

Recurrent palmar–plantar erythrodysaesthesia following high‐dose cytarabine treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia Journal Articles