Cabozantinib and apixaban: an hitherto unreported interaction

Abstract

Abstract The use of direct oral anticoagulant in cancer patients is an emerging issue, which seems to be an alternative to low molecular weight heparin. Every year several new drugs are approved as anticancer treatment with possible drug-drug interaction with other drugs such as oral anticoagulant. We describe, for the first time, a case of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia in a patient in treatment with cabozantinib, a novel anticancer treatment used in metastatic renal cell carcinoma, and apixaban with promptly resumption of the toxicity after the interruption of cabozantinib. This case suggest a possible interaction between these two pharmaceutical agents, which merit caution considering the spreading of the two drugs.

Keywords

• Cabozantinib
• Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC)
• Drug–drug interaction
• Apixaban
• Cytochrome P450 (CYP 450)
• P-glycoprotein (P-Gp)