Anemia may be linked with renal toxicity in cisplatin use

Cisplatin is frequently used in the curative and palliative treatment of several different cancers, including sarcoma.

In this retrospective study, researchers studied 81 patients who underwent ≥3 cycles of chemotherapy with cisplatin and found an average decline in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 9 ml/minute. Women had a relative renal function decline of -5% compared to a decline of -9% for men. The decline in GFR was proportional to age. Patients who were overweight, but not obese, had the best renal function behavior while being treated with cisplatin. Anemia appeared to be an associated risk factor for renal toxicity.

Due to an increase in combination therapy and emerging treatments, such as immunotherapy, the use of cisplatin in oncology may have declined in recent years, resulting in a change in the profile of patients exposed to treatment with cisplatin and the duration of exposure.

Reference
Săftescu S, Popovici D, Oprean C, et al. Determining factors of renal dysfunction during cisplatin chemotherapy. Exp Ther Med. 2021;21(1):83. DOI: 10.3892/etm.2020.9516. Epub 2020 Nov 26. PMID: 33363594; PMCID: PMC7725013.