Cisplatin Drug Information

Cisplatin is administered by slow intravenous infusion. Cisplatin SHOULD NOT BE GIVEN BY RAPID INTRAVENOUS INJECTION. Note: Needles or intravenous sets containing aluminum parts that may come in contact with cisplatin should not be used for preparation or administration.

Aluminum reacts with cisplatin, causing precipitate formation and a loss of potency. Metastatic Testicular Tumors The usual cisplatin dose for the treatment of testicular cancer in combination with other approved chemotherapeutic agents is 20 mg/m 2 IV daily for 5 days per cycle. For directions for the administration of cyclophosphamide, refer to the cyclophosphamide package insert.

In combination therapy, cisplatin and cyclophosphamide are administered sequentially. As a single agent, cisplatin should be administered at a dose of 100 mg/m 2 IV per cycle once every 4 weeks. For heavily pretreated patients an initial dose of 50 mg/m 2 per cycle repeated every 4 weeks is recommended.

If diluted solution is not to be used within 6 hours, protect solution from light. Do not dilute cisplatin in just 5% Dextrose Injection. Adequate hydration and urinary output must be maintained during the following 24 hours.

A repeat course of cisplatin should not be given until the serum creatinine is below 1.5 mg/100 mL, and/or the BUN is below 25 mg/100 mL. A repeat course should not be given until circulating blood elements are at an acceptable level (platelets ≥ 100,000/mm 3, WBC ≥ 4,000/mm 3 ). Subsequent doses of cisplatin should not be given until an audiometric analysis indicates that auditory acuity is within normal limits.

Nephrotoxicity Dose-related and cumulative renal insufficiency, including acute renal failure, is the major dose-limiting toxicity of cisplatin. 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. Renal toxicity becomes more prolonged and severe with repeated courses of the drug.

Renal function must return to normal before another dose of cisplatin can be given. Elderly patients may be more susceptible to nephrotoxicity (see PRECAUTIONS, Geriatric Use ). Impairment of renal function has been associated with renal tubular damage.

The administration of cisplatin using a 6 hour 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. The prevalence of hearing loss in children is particularly high and is estimated to be 40 to 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 gene) may contribute to cisplatin-induced ototoxicity; although this association has not been consistent across populations and study designs. Hematologic Myelosuppression occurs in 25% to 30% of patients treated with cisplatin.

Leukopenia and thrombocytopenia are more pronounced at higher doses (>50 mg/m 2 ). 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. 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. Gastrointestinal 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 hour 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 Sagent Pharmaceuticals at 1-866-625-1618 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Drug Interactions 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.

Pregnancy Pregnancy Category D (See WARNINGS ).

Pediatric Use Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established. All children should have audiometric monitoring performed prior to initiation of therapy, prior to each subsequent dose, and for several years post therapy. Advanced testing methods may allow for earlier detection of hearing loss in an attempt to facilitate the rapid initiation of interventions that can limit the potential adverse impact of hearing impairment on a child's cognitive and social development.

Cisplatin is contraindicated in patients with pre-existing 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.

Caution should be exercised to prevent inadvertent overdosage with cisplatin. Acute overdosage with this drug may result in kidney failure, liver failure, deafness, ocular toxicity (including detachment of the retina), significant myelosuppression, intractable nausea and vomiting and/or neuritis. In addition, death can occur following overdosage.

No proven antidotes have been established for cisplatin overdosage. Hemodialysis, even when initiated four hours after the overdosage, appears to have little effect on removing platinum from the body because of cisplatin's rapid and high degree of protein binding. Management of overdosage should include general supportive measures to sustain the patient through any period of toxicity that may occur.