Pharmacokinetics and hematologic toxicity of linezolid in children: a prospective, two-center cohort study.
Despite the widespread pediatric use of linezolid, data on its hematologic toxicity-particularly among children exposed to anticancer chemotherapy-remain limited and inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate linezolid-induced hematotoxicity through pharmacokinetic analysis, with an emphasis on chemotherapy-exposed pediatric patients. This dual-center prospective study assessed linezolid pharmacokinetics and clinical profiles in chemotherapy-stratified pediatric cohorts, examining associations with hematologic toxicity. Among 229 pediatric patients (65 with cancer), hematologic toxicity occurred in 43.2%, with significantly higher risks of leukopenia (hazard ratio [HR] 20.29, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.98-103.38), neutropenia (HR 2.60, 95% CI: 1.00-6.77), and thrombocytopenia events (HR 7.08, 95% CI: 2.19-22.92) in cancer patients. Median linezolid trough and peak concentrations were 2.60 mg/L (interquartile range [IQR] 1.42-4.06) and 12.00 mg/L (IQR 9.5-14.19), respectively. Among cancer patients, trough concentrations above 7 mg/L elevated leukopenia (HR 6.33, 95% CI: 1.36-29.42) and anemia event (HR 8.72, 95% CI: 1.98-38.37) risk. Prolonged therapy exceeding 14 days elevated the risk of anemia events (HR 2.17; 95% CI: 1.08-4.35), while durations beyond 28 days also increased the risk of neutropenia events (HR 3.58; 95% CI, 1.37-9.32). At equivalent daily doses, twice-daily dosing resulted in higher peak concentrations (19.65 vs 13.67 mg/L; P = 0.020) and a greater incidence of anemia events (62.50% vs 25.00%; P = 0.033) compared to thrice-daily regimens. Linezolid frequently causes hematologic toxicity in children, particularly in chemotherapy recipients. Risk is also driven by high concentrations (peak > 15 mg/L, trough > 7 mg/L in cancer patients), prolonged therapy, and twice-daily dosing, necessitating careful monitoring and dose optimization.
Authors
Zhu Zhu, Zeng Zeng, Wu Wu, Yu Yu, Xu Xu, Wang Wang, Zhang Zhang, Zhang Zhang, Shu Shu, Yang Yang, Huang Huang
View on Pubmed