Hypersensitivity reaction to doxorubicin.

A 42-year-old woman with synovial sarcoma developed a skin flare during doxorubicin therapy. With a subsequent dose, erythema, urticaria, and asthma occurred, despite pretreatment with antihistamines. Skin flares occur in about three percent of patients receiving doxorubicin. Rarely, generalized urticaria, angioneurotic edema, or anaphylaxis occur. Local reactions may represent molecular extravasation through vessels, or histamine release from mast cells or basophils. Generalized reactions may involve alternative complement-activation pathways. Pretreatment with antihistamines or corticosteroids sometimes is helpful in preventing recurrences.