Platinum Drug Levels and Pharmacokinetics

The pharmacokinetics of cisplatin and carboplatin are clearly different and reflect largely the differences in chemical stability of the two drugs (Table 1). In vitro studies with plasma showed that, while cisplatin decomposes rapidly (half- 

Two independent studies have demonstrated an excellent relationship between renal function (as assessed by glomerular filtration rate, GFR) and the area under the plasma platinum concentration versus the time curve (AUC) for carboplatin (and hence the therapeutic efficacy and the severity of throm-bocytopaenia). These observations then led to Calvert and colleagues developing a simple dosing equation for carboplatin based on pretreatment kidney function  

Use of this formula allows the adjustment of the dose of carboplatin according to renal function in order to produce optimal AUC values of 5 mgmU min for previously treated patients and 7mgml min for previously untreated pa-tients.  

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