title: Mitomycin C pharmacokinetics in patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma.
abstract: The pharmacokinetics of mitomycin C as a single agent have been determined in 25 treatment courses given to 18 patients with recurrent or metastatic colorectal carcinoma using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) assay to analyze plasma and urine samples. The plasma pharmacokinetics conformed to a two-compartment linear model in 21 of 25 courses monitored with a mean t1/2 lambda 1 of 9.8 +/- 1.2 (SEM) min and mean t1/2 lambda z of 64.1 +/- 8.9 (SEM) min. The large variation observed in t1/2 lambda z was not related to dose or treatment, but an interaction of these two factors approached significance (p = 0.057). Renal excretion in the 12 courses in which it was determined averaged only 2.3% of the total administered dose during the first 4 h monitored and no mitomycin C metabolites were detected in plasma or urine by the HPLC technique used. The most common toxicity, thrombocytopenia, did not correlate with t1/2 lambda z or the area under the curve. This may be due to a failure to monitor active metabolites of mitomycin C; other factors besides plasma drug concentrations that mediate toxicity towards marrow elements; or the small number of courses associated with thrombocytopenia (less than 100,000/mm3). Our study indicates that an interaction of drug dose and treatment course may be associated with increasing t1/2 lambda z; the renal clearance contributes a small component of mitomycin C elimination; metabolites of mitomycin C cannot be detected by the present HPLC technique; and routine monitoring of mitomycin C using present methods cannot be recommended for clinical use to predict toxicity.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism; D007700:Kinetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D016685:Mitomycin; D008937:Mitomycins / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009503:Neutropenia / Q000139:chemically induced; D012004:Rectal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000139:chemically induced
chemical_list: D008937:Mitomycins; D016685:Mitomycin