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Immune Thrombocytopenia After -Interferon Therapy in Patients With Cancer

E. A. Abdi, MB, BS; P. M. Venner, MD
Cross Cancer Institute North Alberta Cancer Program Edmonton

JAMA. 1986;255(14):1878-1879.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

The recent report by McLaughlin et al¹ deserves some comments. Criteria considered in making a diagnosis of drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia include the following: (1) a consistent clinical history of exposure to drug, (2) exclusion of all other causes, (3) recurrence of thrombocytopenia after rechallenge with the drug, and (4) a positive in vitro test showing a specific drug-dependent effect on platelets.² This report fails to satisfy several of these criteria. First, other causes have not been excluded. We are not given any information about other drugs given concurrently. Almost all patients receiving interferon require an antipyretic agent and many also require antiemetics. The possibility of other drugs causing immune thrombocytopenia has not therefore been excluded.

We are not informed if any of these patients had antecedent viral or bacterial infection that may have caused immune thrombocytopenia. After rechallenge with interferon, thrombocytopenia should occur again, which . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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