In a previous study, we noted wide inter-individual variability in drug interactions between voriconazole and tacrolimus, but that analysis did not take into account the routes of administration. In the present study, we analyzed interactions between these two drugs when both agents were administered orally after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); the effect of plasma voriconazole levels on the magnitude of the drug interaction was also examined. Twenty-five allogeneic HSCT recipients were evaluated. Trough concentrations of tacrolimus were measured prior to, and periodically for 7-10 days after, initiating voriconazole (400 mg/day) to determine the concentration/dose (C/D) ratio of tacrolimus. The median C/D ratio of tacrolimus increased significantly from 172.8 (range 28.6-1110.7) to 537.5 (range 127.8-1933.3) (ng/mL)/(mg/kg) (P < 0.01) following initiation of voriconazole; the median increase was 138.8 % (range -32.0 to 685.7 %). The plasma concentration of voriconazole did not correlate with the increase of the tacrolimus C/D ratio (ρ = 0.16, P = 0.44). These results indicate that oral voriconazole has a significant drug interaction with oral tacrolimus with a wide inter-individual variability, which cannot be explained by the bioavailability of voriconazole. Other possible mechanisms should be explored in future studies.

TAFRO syndrome is a rare systemic inflammatory disease characterized by thrombocytopenia, pleural effusion, fever, renal dysfunction, reticulin fibrosis of the bone marrow, and organomegaly. The clinical course varies significantly among patients. However, the prognosis is usually dismal in patients with severe TAFRO syndrome, and no optimal treatment has yet been established. We herein describe the first case of TAFRO syndrome, which was successfully treated with combination therapy consisting of tocilizumab, prednisone, and cyclophosphamide.

Drug interaction between voriconazole and calcineurin inhibitors is often problematic after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) or solid organ transplantation. We previously demonstrated an unpredictable inter-individual variability in the magnitude of this drug interaction; however, the route of drug administration was not taken into account. In this study, the drug interaction between voriconazole and calcineurin inhibitors was further analyzed under the condition that both agents were administered orally. Twenty adult recipients of HSCT who had already been on a steady dose of oral cyclosporine A (CsA) and were started on oral voriconazole (400 mg/d) were eligible. The changes in the concentration/dose (C/D) ratio of CsA were evaluated by comparing the trough concentrations of CsA measured before and 7-10 d after initiating voriconazole. The median C/D ratio of CsA increased significantly from 64.1 to 114.3 (ng/mL)/(mg/kg) after initiating voriconazole (p < 0.01), and the median increase was 83.0% (range, 0.3-224.7%). The plasma concentration of voriconazole did not correlate significantly with the increase of the C/D ratio (ρ = -0.18, p = 0.45). These results indicate that the magnitude of drug interaction between oral voriconazole and CsA is widely variable, and it could not be explained by the difference in the blood levels of voriconazole. Further studies are required to elucidate the mechanism for this variability.

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Endoscopic and histological findings on distal colonoscopy are clinically significant in the diagnosis of intestinal GVHD, and limiting this examination to the distal section of the large intestine avoids causing further clinical deterioration in patients who are already in very poor general condition and the possibility of causing endoscopy-related complications.