Bendamustine Associated with Infectious Complications

Bendamustine, a nitrogen mustard–based alkylating agent, is used for treatment of indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (iNHL), like follicular and marginal zone lymphomas. This agent has been associated with prolonged CD4+ lymphopenia and, in case reports and series, opportunistic infections. Now, investigators have assessed the infectious complications of bendamustine using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare database.

Rates of infection were compared among people with iNHL who received different chemotherapeutic regimens between 2006 and 2013: 1239 received bendamustine-containing therapies and 8156 received non–bendamustine-containing treatment. After adjustments for factors such as age, neutrope…