Use of Cyclosporine A and danazol in treatment of aplastic anemia: A real-world data from a teaching hospital in South India

Abstract

Background: Due to financial constraints, there are limited treatment options for Aplastic anemia (AA) in developing countries. Aims and Objectives: In the present observational retrospective study, utility of Cyclosporine A (CsA) along with Danazol (an anabolic steroid) in AA was assessed. Materials and Methods: The study included patients of AA treated in our hospital from 2017 to 2020. Results: The present study included total of 95 patients. Out of these, 69 patients (73%) were lost to follow-up. It was observed that, out of 26 patients who could be followed up, 18 (69%) patients responded to the treatment (transfusion independent) at the end of 6 months. Out of 18 patients who had responded, two were very severe AA, 12 were severe AA, and four were non-severe AA patients. Eleven out of 18 (61.1%) females responded, whereas seven out of eight males (87.5%) responded to the treatment. In four patients who received Eltrombopag in addition to CsA-Danazol, three patients responded to the therapy. Conclusion: Treatment with CsA and Danazol may represent a promising therapy for patients with AA, especially in resource limited settings. Further, large-scale collaborative studies are necessary to evaluate such approaches in management of AA.

Whole exome sequencing of adult Indians with apparently acquired Aplastic Anemia: initial experience at tertiary care hospital

“…In view of costs associated with HSCT and ATG therapies, many patients are prescribed CsA-Androgen therapy combination. CsA along with Danazol, an anabolic steroid is administered for treating AA and they were assessed in various populations [31][32][33] . While these patients do not respond to immunosuppressive therapy (standard of care), bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the treatment of choice in patients of AA who have documented telomerase mutations 3,4,5,,29 .…”