Can high-dose methotrexate be safely administered to outpatients?

Authors

null

Briana Genge

Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada

Briana Genge, Tricia Carasco, Leslie Young, Leigha Laporte, Tara D. Baetz

Organizations

Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Kingston, ON, Canada, Michael Garron Hospital, East York, ON, Canada, Division of Medical Oncology, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada

Research Funding

No funding received
None

Background: High-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) is administered as prophylaxis for central nervous system (CNS) relapse in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). It is traditionally administered in an inpatient setting due to its complex supportive care regimen. We developed an outpatient protocol and evaluated the safety of this approach. Methods: In 2019 a multidisciplinary team at Kingston Health Sciences Centre developed an outpatient HD-MTX protocol for CNS prophylaxis in DLBCL. Select eligible patients received their HD-MTX infusion in the day unit and returned daily for bloodwork and monitoring. Leucovorin and continuous intravenous hydration were administered via ambulatory infusion pumps. A single centre retrospective cohort analysis was conducted on all patients who received outpatient HD-MTX. These patients were compared to a historical control group who underwent inpatient HD-MTX and who would have met outpatient eligibility criteria. To evaluate the safety of the outpatient protocol we compared the risk of significant toxicity, defined as an elevation in serum creatinine or oral mucositis of grade III or higher, or development of febrile neutropenia. We also evaluated the time to MTX serum clearance, patient admissions and delays of subsequent chemotherapy cycles. Results: From June 2017 to March 2021, 6 outpatients undergoing 14 HD-MTX cycles and 13 inpatients undergoing 28 cycles were evaluated. Significant toxicity occurred in one outpatient cycle compared to five inpatient cycles (7.1% vs 17.9%, p = 0.79). Average time to MTX clearance was 4.1 days for outpatients and 3.5 days for inpatients (p = 0.013). Only one outpatient was admitted to hospital, resulting in an average length of hospital stay of 0.5 days for outpatients compared to 4.96 days for inpatients. There was no significant difference in the need to delay a subsequent cycle of chemotherapy. Conclusions: Outpatient administration of HD-MTX can be administered safely and effectively as CNS prophylaxis in select patients with DLBCL.


Outpatient Cycles, n = 14 number of events (%)
Inpatient Cycles, n = 28 number of events (%)
p-value
Primary composite outcome (serum  creatinine increase of grade 3 or  higher, oral mucositis of grade 3 or  higher, febrile neutropenia)
1 (7.1)
5 (17.9)
0.79
Secondary outcomes



 Serum creatinine increase of grade  3 or higher
0
0
N/A
 Serum creatinine increase of any  grade
4 (28.6)
0
0.014
 Oral mucositis of grade 3 or higher
1 (7.14)
3 (10.7)
0.88
 Oral mucositis of any grade
4 (28.6)
13 (46.4)
0.196
 Febrile neutropenia
0
2 (7.14)
0.539
 Time to methotrexate clearance  (average days)
4.1
3.5
0.013
 Admission to hospital
1 (7.1)
5 (17.9)
0.408
 Average length of hospital stay
0.5
4.96
-
 Leucovorin dose adjustments  needed
1 (7.1)
0
0.341
 Delay in subsequent cycle
2 (14.3)
7 (25.0)
0.241

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Abstract Details

Meeting

2021 ASCO Quality Care Symposium

Session Type

Poster Session

Session Title

Poster Session A: Cost, Value, and Policy; Health Equity and Disparities; Patient Experience

Track

Cost, Value, and Policy,Technology and Innovation in Quality of Care,Health Care Access, Equity, and Disparities,Patient Experience,Quality, Safety, and Implementation Science

Sub Track

Value-Based Models of Care

Citation

J Clin Oncol 39, 2021 (suppl 28; abstr 34)

DOI

10.1200/JCO.2020.39.28_suppl.34

Abstract #

34

Poster Bd #

Online Only

Abstract Disclosures

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