Tolerance of Anti-CMV Prophylaxis with Valganciclovir One-Year Treatment in D+/R- Lung Transplant Patients. A Single-Center Retrospective Study

Purpose Management of neutropenia, the main side effect of Valganciclovir, may affect final transplant results. The main objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of Valganciclovir in D+/R- patients. The secondary objectives are to assess the impact of neutropenia and Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) daily dosage modification on the outcomes of the transplant. Methods We performed a single-center retrospective study from 01/01/2010 to 12/31/2018 including 531 consecutive lung transplant patients. Results 59 of the 108 D+/R- patients (55%) experienced at least one episode of neutropenia during the first posttransplant year leading to its premature withdrawal for 31 patients (29%). Among D+/R- patients, subgroup of premature vGCV withdrawal experienced significantly more neutropenia and reduction of MMF in comparison with complete vGCV treatment subgroup (87% vs 42%, p Conclusion Considering adverse effects associated with Valganciclovir one-year treatment may have a negative impact on the outcomes of the transplant, an alternative should be proposed.