Transient elevation of serum cystatin C concentrations during perioperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy in esophageal cancer patients.

PURPOSE

In the present study, the time-concentration profile of platinum (Pt) in plasma was compared to that of serum cystatin C (Cys C) in Japanese esophageal cancer patients receiving perioperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy.

METHODS

Five male and one female patients receiving 2 successive cycles of cisplatin-based chemotherapy combined with 5-fluorouracil, the treatment for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, participated in this study. The pharmacokinetic parameters in each patient were calculated from the individual plasma Pt concentration-time curve after intravenous infusion of cisplatin using the one-compartment model.

RESULTS

Within a week of starting the first cycle of chemotherapy, serum Cys C concentrations increased in all patients from 122.6 to 143.0%, subsequently returning to baseline levels in approximately 10 days. A similar increase in serum Cys C levels also occurred during the second treatment cycle. However, no increase in serum creatinine levels was observed during either treatment cycle. In addition, the concentration of plasma Pt 2 days after treatment in the first and second cycles did not correlate with those of either serum Cys C or creatinine. Finally, the half-life of Pt in plasma during the first treatment cycle was not significantly different from that in the second cycle.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings suggest that concentration fluctuations in serum Cys C are unlikely to correlate with Pt elimination from the plasma and that renal function estimates based on serum Cys C concentration might be underestimated during perioperative cisplatin-based chemotherapy for esophageal cancer.