THE INFLUENCE OF RELATIVE BODY-WEIGHT ON TOXICITY OF COMBINATION CHEMOTHERAPY WITH CISPLATIN AND ETOPOSIDE

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine whether there was any r elationship between the adverse toxicity of combination chemotherapy a nd clinical values including age, sex, creatinine clearance (Ccr), bod y surface area and relative body weight, Methods: Cisplatin at a dose of 80 mg/m(2) on day 1 and etoposide at a dose of 100 mg/m(2) on days 1, 2 and 3 were given to 42 consecutive patients with solid tumors. Al l patients had normal major organ function and received uniform hydrat ion therapy. Results: Body Mass Index as a measure of relative body we ight was inversely correlated with the percentage decrease in white bl ood cells (P = 0.0681) and platelet count (P = 0.0115). Body surface a rea was also inversely correlated with leukopenia (P = 0.0171) and thr ombocytopenia (P = 0.0058). In contrast, age, sex and Ccr had no signi ficant relationship with adverse toxicity. Conclusions: It is conclude d that dose adjustment of combination chemotherapy with cisplatin and etoposide according to age or ideal body weight is not appropriate and that a conventional dose modification method based solely on body sur face area is probably not sufficient to reduce interpatient variabilit y of cancer chemotherapy, A pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of combination chemotherapy is warranted to establish the ideal dose m odification method.