The association of age and adverse events of PEG‐asparaginase in a pediatric tertiary care hospital; a retrospective review

Background Pediatric patients have a better survival rate for lymphoid malignancies than adolescents and young adult patients (AYA) and current evidence suggests that asparaginase plays a role in improved response to treatment. This study aimed to evaluate if increasing age as a continuous variable demonstrated increasing toxicities to PEG‐asparaginase (PEG‐ASP) for those patients treated at a tertiary care pediatric hospital. Methods A retrospective chart review from 2007 to 2017 was conducted in the pediatric population at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Patients having received PEG‐ASP were included. Event incidence and risk related to age at diagnosis were assessed through parameter estimates and Wald chi‐square analysis. Results In total, 75 adverse events were observed: 34/186 (18.3%) experienced allergic reactions, 8/186 (4.3%) pancreatitis, 31/186 (16.7%) thrombosis, and 2/186 (1.1%) hemorrhage. One hundred and eighty two patients had complete information for inclusion in our model. A correlation between age at diagnosis and higher risk of allergic reaction (p