One versus two sets of busulfan therapeutic drug monitoring in myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant

Abstract

Introduction Busulfan is a common component of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (alloHCT) conditioning, however interpatient pharmacokinetic variability can result in enhanced toxicity or increased relapse risk. Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) can minimize variability, yet the optimal frequency of TDM is unknown. We compared outcomes for patients with one versus two sets of busulfan TDM during myeloablative conditioning (MAC) prior to alloHCT. Methods We analyzed the impact of busulfan TDM frequency and dose adjustments, with the primary outcome being relapse-free survival (RFS). Other outcomes included the incidence of acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), oral mucositis, pulmonary toxicity, sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (SOS), the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), and overall survival (OS). Results Twenty-two patients underwent one set of sampling while 53 patients underwent two sets. Similar baseline characteristics were observed between the groups. There were no significant differences observed in RFS by day +180 (77.3% vs. 79.2%, p = 1.0), CIR by day +180 (18.2% vs. 17.8%, p = 0.74), or OS ( p = 0.73). The incidences of acute GVHD, chronic GVHD, SOS, and severe mucositis were also similar. In each group, 63% received busulfan dose adjustments after one set, with 52.8% receiving further dose adjustments following the second set. Conclusion We observed no significant difference in alloHCT outcomes between patients who underwent one versus two sets of busulfan TDM sampling, suggesting that a single-time TDM and dose adjustment may be adequate to maximize outcomes after MAC alloHCT.