UNDER REVIEW (September 2016)
Mechanism of Action:
Cisplatin is a platinum-based alkylating agent used to treat a variety of cancers. Alkylating agents stop tumor growth by cross-linking guanine bases in DNA strands, which makes the strands unable to uncoil and separate. As this prevents DNA replication, the cells can no longer divide.
Lecture and CAL materials:
- Lecture: Introduction to the Treatment of Cancer
Drug specifics
| Alternative drug name | not specified |
| Effects | Cisplatin is used in a wide range of malignant diseases including testicular cancer, ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancer, oesophageal cancer, mall cell and non-small cell lung cancer, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. |
| Adverse actions | Common side effects include renal impairment (prevented by checking kidney function prior to administering the drug, giving extra intravenous fluids, and drinking extra fluids after the drug is given), decreased blood levels of magnesium, potassium, and calcium, nausea and vomiting, taste changes, including a metallic taste to foods, sensation of 'pins and needles' in hands and/or feet Decreased red blood cell counts Birth defects should pregnancy occur during treatment The patient should have no immunizations (vaccinations) during and after treatment without prior discussion with the health care provider. Contact with people who have recently taken the oral polio vaccine should be avoided as directed by the health care provider. Kidney damage caused by cisplatin may be... |
| Dose | Administered intravenously over 1 or more hours with intensive intravenous hydration. |
| Interactions | See BNF. |
| Contraindications | not specified |
| Comments | Cisplatin is used alone or in combination for the treatment of testicular, lung, cervical, bladder, head and neck, and ovarian cancer (but carboplatin is preferred for ovarian cancer). It is given intravenously. Cisplatin requires intensive intravenous hydration and treatment may be complicated by severe nausea and vomiting. Cisplatin is toxic, causing nephrotoxicity (monitoring of renal function is essential), ototoxicity, peripheral neuropathy, hypomagnesaemia and myelosuppression. OTHER PLATINUM COMPOUNDS. Carboplatin is widely used in the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer and lung cancer (particulary the small cell type). It is given intravenously. The dose of carboplatin is determined according to renal function rather than body surface area. Carboplatin can be given on an outpatient basis and is better tolerated than cisplatin. Oxaliplatin is licensed in combination with fluorouracil and folinic acid, for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer and as adjuvant treatment of colon cancer after resection of the primary tumour; it is given by intravenous infusion. |
| Contributors |
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