Examining the Characteristics of Colchicine-Induced Myelosuppression in Clinical Cases: A Systematic Review

Objective The use of colchicine has been associated with varying degrees of myelosuppression. Despite expanded use in cardiovascular and inflammatory conditions, there remains clinician concern because of potential myelosuppressive side effects. A systematic review was conducted to explore the reported myelosuppressive events of colchicine.

Methods A systematic review was conducted using the MeSH terms (“colchicine”) AND (“myelosuppression,” “bone*,” “marrow,” “suppression,” “aplasia,” “leukopenia/leucopenia,” “lymphopenia,” “neutropenia”) on September 1, 2020, and was updated on November 30, 2021. The search was conducted in PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library. The search included references published from 1978 to 2020 and was limited to English-language observational studies (ie, case reports, case series, case control studies, and cohort studies) or trial data.

Results In total, 3233 articles were screened, with 30 studies of 47 patients with myelosuppression from colchicine identified. Most patients with myelosuppression had comorbidities, including renal impairment (21/47, 44.7%). Out of 47 patients, 15 (31.9%) and 13 (27.7%) were reported to be concurrently taking cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitors and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux transporter inhibitors, respectively. Patients with renal impairment accounted for the majority of overall patients taking these CYP3A4 and P-gp inhibitors (8/15, 53.3%, and 8/13, 61.5%, respectively). Out of 21 patients with renal impairment, 13 had worsening cytopenia during colchicine use. The presentations ranged from moderate anemia (grade 2) to severe thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and leukopenia (grade 4).

Conclusion Colchicine has few reports of myelosuppression. The majority of patients with myelosuppression had preexisting renal impairment or concomitant CYP3A4 or P-gp inhibitor use. Caution should be taken in this subset of patients with increased monitoring.