Cisplatin Prescribing Information
Cisplatin Injection should be administered under the supervision of a qualified physician experienced in the use of cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Appropriate management of therapy and complications is possible only when adequate diagnostic and treatment facilities are readily available.
Cumulative renal toxicity associated with cisplatin is severe. Other major dose-related toxicities are myelosuppression, nausea, and vomiting.
Ototoxicity, which may be more pronounced in children, and is manifested by tinnitus, and/or loss of high frequency hearing and occasionally deafness, is significant.
Epinephrine, corticosteroids, and antihistamines have been effectively employed to alleviate symptoms (see
Cisplatin produces cumulative nephrotoxicity which is potentiated by aminoglycoside antibiotics. The serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine clearance, and magnesium, sodium, potassium, and calcium levels should be measured prior to initiating therapy, and prior to each subsequent course. At the recommended dosage, cisplatin should not be given more frequently than once every 3 to 4 weeks (see
There are reports of severe neuropathies in patients in whom regimens are employed using higher doses of cisplatin or greater dose frequencies than those recommended. These neuropathies may be irreversible and are seen as paresthesias in a stocking-glove distribution, areflexia, and loss of proprioception and vibratory sensation. Elderly patients may be more susceptible to peripheral neuropathy (see
Loss of motor function has also been reported.
Anaphylactic-like reactions to cisplatin have been reported. These reactions have occurred within minutes of administration to patients with prior exposure to cisplatin, and have been alleviated by administration of epinephrine, corticosteroids, and antihistamines.
Cisplatin can commonly cause ototoxicity which is cumulative and may be severe. Audiometric testing should be performed prior to initiating therapy and prior to each subsequent dose of drug (see
All pediatric patients receiving cisplatin should have audiometric testing at baseline, prior to each subsequent dose, of drug and for several years post therapy.
Cisplatin can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Cisplatin is mutagenic in bacteria and produces chromosome aberrations in animal cells in tissue culture. In mice cisplatin is teratogenic and embryotoxic. If this drug is used during pregnancy or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus. Patients should be advised to avoid becoming pregnant.
The carcinogenic effect of cisplatin was studied in BD IX rats. Cisplatin was administered intraperitoneally (i.p.) to 50 BD IX rats for 3 weeks, 3 X 1 mg/kg body weight per week. Four hundred and fifty-five days after the first application, 33 animals died, 13 of them related to malignancies: 12 leukemias and 1 renal fibrosarcoma.
The development of acute leukemia coincident with the use of cisplatin has been reported. In these reports, cisplatin was generally given in combination with other leukemogenic agents.
Injection site reactions may occur during the administration of cisplatin (see
Dose-related and cumulative renal insufficiency, including acute renal failure, is the major dose-limiting toxicity of cisplatin. Renal toxicity has been noted in 28% to 36% of patients treated with a single dose of 50 mg/m2. It is first noted during the second week after a dose and is manifested by elevations in BUN and creatinine, serum uric acid and/or a decrease in creatinine clearance.
Impairment of renal function has been associated with renal tubular damage. The administration of cisplatin using a 6- to 8-hour infusion with intravenous hydration, and mannitol has been used to reduce nephrotoxicity. However, renal toxicity still can occur after utilization of these procedures.
Ototoxicity has been observed in up to 31% of patients treated with a single dose of cisplatin 50 mg/m2, and is manifested by tinnitus and/or hearing loss in the high frequency range (4000 to 8000 Hz). The prevelance of hearing loss in children is particularly high and is estimated to be 40-60%. Decreased ability to hear normal conversational tones may occur. Deafness after the initial dose of cisplatin has been reported. Ototoxic effects may be more severe in children receiving cisplatin.
Hearing loss can be unilateral or bilateral and tends to become more frequent and severe with repeated cisplatin doses. It is unclear whether cisplatin-induced ototoxicity is reversible.
Vestibular toxicity has also been reported. Ototoxic effects may be related to the peak plasma concentration of cisplatin. Ototoxicity can occur during treatment or be delayed. Audiometric monitoring should be performed prior to initiation of therapy, prior to each subsequent dose, and for several years post therapy.
The risk of ototoxicity may be increased by prior or simultaneous cranial irradiation, and may be more severe in patients less than 5 years of age, patients being treated with other ototoxic drugs (e.g. aminoglycosides and vancomycin), and in patients with renal impairment.
Genetic factors (e.g. variants in the thiopurine S-methyltransferase [TPMT] gene) may contribute to cisplatin-induced ototoxicity; although this association has not been consistent across populations and study designs.
Myelosuppression occurs in 25% to 30% of patients treated with cisplatin. The nadirs in circulating platelets and leukocytes occur between days 18 to 23 (range 7.5 to 45) with most patients recovering by day 39 (range 13 to 62). Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia are more pronounced at higher doses (>50 mg/m2). Anemia (decrease of 2 g hemoglobin/100 mL) occurs at approximately the same frequency and with the same timing as leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Fever and infection have also been reported in patients with neutropenia. Potential fatalities due to infection (secondary to myelosuppression) have been reported. Elderly patients may be more susceptible to myelosuppression (see
In addition to anemia secondary to myelosuppression, a Coombs' positive hemolytic anemia has been reported. In the presence of cisplatin hemolytic anemia, a further course of treatment may be accompanied by increased hemolysis and this risk should be weighed by the treating physician.
The development of acute leukemia coincident with the use of cisplatin has been reported. In these reports, cisplatin was generally given in combination with other leukemogenic agents.
Marked nausea and vomiting occur in almost all patients treated with cisplatin, and may be so severe that the drug must be discontinued. Nausea and vomiting may begin within 1 to 4 hours after treatment and last up to 24 hours. Various degrees of vomiting, nausea and/or anorexia may persist for up to 1 week after treatment.
Delayed nausea and vomiting (begins or persists 24 hours or more after chemotherapy) has occurred in patients attaining complete emetic control on the day of cisplatin therapy.
Diarrhea has also been reported.
To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Apotex Corp. at 1-800-706-5575 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
2/cycle once every 3 to 4 weeks are rarely used. Care must be taken to avoid inadvertent cisplatin overdose due to confusion with carboplatin or prescribing practices that fail to differentiate daily doses from total dose per cycle.
Cisplatin Injection is indicated as therapy to be employed as follows:
Cisplatin Injection is administered by slow intravenous infusion. CISPLATIN INJECTION SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN BY RAPID INTRAVENOUS INJECTION.
Cisplatin is contraindicated in patients with preexisting renal impairment. Cisplatin should not be employed in myelosuppressed patients, or in patients with hearing impairment.
Cisplatin is contraindicated in patients with a history of allergic reactions to cisplatin or other platinum-containing compounds.
Dose-related and cumulative renal insufficiency, including acute renal failure, is the major dose-limiting toxicity of cisplatin. Renal toxicity has been noted in 28% to 36% of patients treated with a single dose of 50 mg/m
2. It is first noted during the second week after a dose and is manifested by elevations in BUN and creatinine, serum uric acid and/or a decrease in creatinine clearance.
Insufficient data are available from clinical trials of cisplatin in the treatment of metastatic testicular tumors or advanced bladder cancer to determine whether elderly patients respond differently than younger patients. In four clinical trials of combination chemotherapy for advanced ovarian carcinoma, 1484 patients received cisplatin either in combination with cyclophosphamide or paclitaxel. Of these, 426 (29%) were older than 65 years. In these trials, age was not found to be a prognostic factor for survival. However, in a later secondary analysis for one of these trials, elderly patients were found to have shorter survival compared with younger patients. In all four trials, elderly patients experienced more severe neutropenia than younger patients. Higher incidences of severe thrombocytopenia and leukopenia were also seen in elderly compared with younger patients, although not in all cisplatin-containing treatment arms. In the two trials where nonhematologic toxicity was evaluated according to age, elderly patients had a numerically higher incidence of peripheral neuropathy than younger patients. Other reported clinical experience suggests that elderly patients may be more susceptible to myelosuppression, infectious complications, and nephrotoxicity than younger patients.
Cisplatin is known to be substantially excreted by the kidney and is contraindicated in patients with preexisting renal impairment. Because elderly patients are more likely to have decreased renal function, care should be taken in dose selection, and renal function should be monitored.
Impairment of renal function has been associated with renal tubular damage. The administration of cisplatin using a 6- to 8-hour infusion with intravenous hydration, and mannitol has been used to reduce nephrotoxicity. However, renal toxicity still can occur after utilization of these procedures.
Plasma levels of anticonvulsant agents may become subtherapeutic during cisplatin therapy.
In a randomized trial in advanced ovarian cancer, response duration was adversely affected when pyridoxine was used in combination with altretamine (hexamethylmelamine) and cisplatin.