[Four Cases Who Experienced Extravasation of Anthracyclines and Had Dexrazoxane Therapy].

We analyzed 4 cases who experienced extravasation of anthracyclines and had dexrazoxane therapy in our hospital. Concerned drugs were 2 adriamycin and 2 amrubicin cases and all cases received steroid ointment therapy, and no cases showed severe condition such as skin ulcer. As dexrazoxane is known to enhance bone marrow suppression of anti-cancer drugs, the nadir of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia was observed from day 10 to 17 in our cases. We made a domestic manual and have used in various professionals. Dexrazoxane would contribute to the reduction of skin damage due to extravasation if we could manage bone marrow suppression successfully.

[Protective effect of dexrazoxane on cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients who received anthracycline-containing chemotherapy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cardioprotective effects of dexrazoxane (DEX) on breast cancer patients who received anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 122 breast cancer patients after operation were randomly divided into two groups: The experimental group of 61 cases treated with EPI plus DEX (DEX:EPI = 10:1) as adjuvant chemotherapy regimen, and the control group of 61 cases treated with EPI but without DEX. All patients received four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy and their changes of specific cardiac functional status and hematology status before and after chemotherapy, as well as non-cardiac toxicity were observed and analyzed. RESULTS: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (106.78 ± 4.52)×10(-6) µg/ml and (187.19 ± 8.71)×10(-6) µg/ml, respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was (102.34 ± 8.76)×10(-6) µg/ml and (105.29 ± 7.21)×10(-6) µg/ml, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). Cardiac troponin T (cTnT) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (12.55 ± 2.73)×10(-3) µg/ml and ( 31.05 ± 7.10 )×10(-3) µg/ml, respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was (12.70 ± 2.15)×10(-3) µg/ml and (13.65 ± 7.82)×10(-3) µg/ml, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). The hart rate (HR) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group, was 75.32 ± 7.14 bpm and 89.60 ± 9.21 bpm, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was 78.60 ± 6.29 bpm and 83.10 ± 7.56 bpm, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (65.23 ± 7.82)% and (55.21 ± 7.23)%, respectively, with a significant difference between them (P < 0.05). It in the experimental group was (64.12 ± 6.25)% and (59.6 ± 4.72)%, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). The absolute neutrophil count before chemotherapy and after four cycles of chemotherapy in the control group was (3.95 ± 1.36)×10(9)/L and (3.50 ± 1.52)×10(9)/L, respectively, without a significant difference (P > 0.05). It in the experimental group, was (4.96 ± 1.41)×10(9)/L and (3.10 ± 1.26)×10(9)/L, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). The incidence of grade I-IV bone marrow suppression in the experimental group was 21.3%, 16.4%, 24.6%, and 4.9%, respectively. It in the control group was 16.4%, 11.5%, 9.8%, and 5.5%, respectively, with a significant difference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac toxicity after anthracycline treatment in breast cancer patients may be significantly reduced by DEX, without increase of non-cardiac and and non-hematologic toxicity. DEX combined with anthracycline increases the risk of bone marrow suppression, therefore, peripheral blood picture should be monitored or routine bone marrow support may be needed.

Extravasation injuries: current medical and surgical treatment.

BACKGROUND: Extravasation is a devastating complication of intravenous therapy that develops when a drug infiltrates the interstitial tissue surrounding the vein. Due to the uncertain and possibly dramatic outcome, early recognition and adequate treatment with the aid of a standardized protocol are needed. METHODS: A pubmed literature search was conducted and all relevant articles were reviewed for the development of an extravasation treatment protocol. RESULTS: An overview of current treatment guidelines and clinical experience is provided. The extravasation treatment protocol was implied during 1 year in this university hospital with satisfactory outcome. CONCLUSION: Treatment starts with prevention. In case of an established extravasation injury, early recognition, assessment of severity, and treatment with medical and/or surgical therapies are recommended.

Dexrazoxane prevents the development of the impaired cardiac phenotype in caveolin-1-disrupted mice.

: Caveolin-1-deficient (cav1) mice display a severely diseased cardiac phenotype with systolic and diastolic heart failure. Accumulating evidence supports a causative role of uncoupled endothelial nitric oxide synthase in the development of these abnormalities. Interestingly, a similar molecular mechanism was proposed for anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy. Currently, dexrazoxane is approved for the prevention of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy. Given the molecular similarities between the anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy and the cardiomyopathy in cav1 mice, we questioned whether dexrazoxane may also prevent the evolution of the cardiac pathologies in cav1 mice. We evaluated dexrazoxane treatment for 6 weeks in cav1 mice and wild-type controls. This study provides the first evidence for a reduced reactive oxygen species formation in the vessels of dexrazoxane-treated cav1 mice. This reduced oxidative stress resulted in a markedly reduced rate of apoptosis, which finally was translated into a significantly improved heart function in dexrazoxane-treated cav1 mice. These hemodynamic improvements were accompanied by significantly lowered proatrial natriuretic peptide levels. Notably, these protective properties of dexrazoxane were not evident in wild-type animals. Taken together, these novel findings indicate that dexrazoxane significantly reduces vascular reactive oxygen species formation cav1. Because this is paralleled by an improved cardiac performance in cav1 mice, our data suggest dexrazoxane as a novel therapeutic strategy in this specific cardiomyopathy.

Dexrazoxane efficacy for anthracycline extravasation: use in UK clinical practice.

Extravasation is recognised as a major complication of administering intravenous chemotherapy treatment. Of the agents involved in extravasation, anthracyclines are associated with the greatest risk to patients because they are vesicant agents, having the potential to cause blistering and ulceration. If not identified and left untreated, anthracycline extravasation can lead to more serious complications such as tissue necrosis and functional impairment. Dexrazoxane (Savene(®) ) is the only licensed antidote for the treatment of anthracycline extravasation and clinical evidence has shown Savene(®) to be highly effective for preventing the need for surgery following anthracycline extravasation, allowing full recovery in the majority of patients. To date, there have been eight published studies reporting a total of 102 cases of Savene(®) use. Here, we review the published data on the efficacy of Savene(®) and present an analysis of 12 UK case studies. All UK oncology centres where Savene(®) has been used to manage anthracycline extravasation were contacted by SpePharm UK, who requested case studies for this publication. All of the cases received, including two from our own experience of using Savene(®) have been included in the analysis.

Dexrazoxane use in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic or myeloid leukemia from 1999 and 2009: analysis of a national cohort of patients in the Pediatric Health Information Systems database.

BACKGROUND: Acute lymphoblastic (ALL) and myeloid leukemia (AML) account for approximately 26% of pediatric cancers. Anthracyclines are widely used to treat these leukemias, but dosing is limited by cardiotoxicity. Data support the efficacy of dexrazoxane as a cardioprotectant in children; however, dexrazoxane use in children is not universally accepted due to concerns about toxicity, impact on the antitumor effect of anthracyclines, and risk of secondary malignant neoplasms (SMN). PROCEDURE: We conducted a retrospective cohort study to describe patterns of dexrazoxane use in pediatric patients with ALL or AML using the Pediatric Health Information Systems (PHIS) database. Patients identified as having de novo ALL and AML at these PHIS hospitals were included. RESULTS: Of 8,733 patients with ALL and 2,556 with AML, 207 (2.4%) and 52 (2.0%) received dexrazoxane, respectively. Dexrazoxane use was greater in older children with ALL and AML and in black patients and males with ALL. Dexrazoxane use varied across time and by region in ALL, but not in AML. Prescribing practices differed across institutions and most patients received the first dose early or late after the start of leukemia treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Dexrazoxane administration is limited in patients with ALL and AML and prescribing practices vary across the country. Further work is necessary to understand how dexrazoxane is used in patients at highest risk of developing cardiotoxicity and to define its true effect on the development of SMNs.

The impact of doxorubicin and dexrazoxane injection of prepubertal female rats on pregnancy outcome and cardiac function postpartum.

Childhood cancer survivors can develop significant cardiac dysfunction in adulthood as a consequence of their cancer treatment. Studies have linked heart failure during pregnancy to childhood doxorubicin (DOX) exposure. We hypothesized that DOX injection would reduce cardiac function peripartum and that DOX-treated dams would show greater cardiac remodeling postweaning. Weanling female Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with phospate-buffered saline, DOX (3 mg/kg), or DOX plus the cardioprotectant dexrazoxane (DEX; 60 mg/kg) and followed for 2 pregnancies. DOX and DOX:DEX dams were fertile, but had fewer pups and more pup losses. Echocardiography, 1-day postpartum after each pregnancy, revealed greater increases in cardiac mass and eccentric hypertrophy in DOX-treated dams and early dilation in DOX:DEX dams. The expression of calcium homeostasis proteins can change after DOX treatment and cardiac remodeling. SERCA2a expression did not change. Reductions in phospholamban and phospho-serine 16-specific phospholamban expression in DOX dams were not relieved by DEX coinjection. DOX binds and inactivates calsequestrin 2 expression so increased calsequestrin 2 expression in DOX:DEX-treated dams suggests some DEX compensation. The eccentric hypertrophy and dilation development, despite compensatory changes in proteins controlling calcium cycling, suggest DOX damage with repeat pregnancy that was not alleviated fully by DEX.

Cardioprotective effect of early dexrazoxane use in anthracycline treated pediatric patients.

Anthracyclines play a major role in chemotherapeutic regimens for a variety of pediatric cancers, but produce undesirable dose-related cardiotoxicity. Dexrazoxane reduces early myocardial injury during anthracycline treatment, but data remain insufficient to fully understand its cardioprotective effectiveness in treating pediatric cancers and additional research is necessary to find efficient methods of dexrazoxane administration. Therefore, we retrospectively evaluated the cardioprotective effect of dexrazoxane against anthracyclines in 258 pediatric cancer patients who had received any anthracyclines from January 1997 to May 2005 at a tertiary teaching hospital in Korea. The results of this study suggest that the early use of dexrazoxane protects against the development of cardiotoxicity during anthracycline treatment in pediatric cancer patients. Further studies involving larger pediatric cancer patients are needed to evaluate the cardioprotective effect of dexrazoxane at higher cumulative doses of anthracyclines and on late-onset cardiotoxicity in long-term survivors.

Use of the cardioprotectants thymosin ß4 and dexrazoxane during congenital heart surgery: proposal for a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial.

Neonates and infants undergoing heart surgery with cardioplegic arrest experience both inflammation and myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. These processes provoke myocardial apoptosis and oxygen-free radical formation that result in cardiac injury and dysfunction. Thymosin ß4 (Tß4) is a naturally occurring peptide that has cardioprotective and antiapoptotic effects. Similarly, dexrazoxane provides cardioprotection by reduction of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) and suppression of apoptosis. We propose a pilot pharmacokinetic/safety trial of Tß4 and dexrazoxane in children less than one year of age, followed by a randomized, double-blind, clinical trial of Tß4 or dexrazoxane versus placebo during congenital heart surgery. We will evaluate postoperative time to resolution of organ failure, development of low cardiac output syndrome, length of cardiac ICU and hospital stays, and echocardiographic indices of cardiac dysfunction. Results could establish the clinical utility of Tß4 and/or dexrazoxane in ameliorating ischemia-reperfusion injury during congenital heart surgery.

BET 3: emergency management of anthracycline extravasation.

A short cut review was carried out to establish whether intravenous dexrazoxane reduces the risk of tissue necrosis after extravasation of the chemotherapy agent anthracycline. One paper directly addressed the question. The clinical bottom line is that intravenous dexrazoxane appears to be safe and may reduce the risk of tissue necrosis after extravasation of anthracycline.

Cardiotoxicity in childhood cancer survivors: strategies for prevention and management.

Advances in cancer treatment have greatly improved survival rates of children with cancer. However, these same chemotherapeutic or radiologic treatments may result in long-term health consequences. Anthracyclines, chemotherapeutic drugs commonly used to treat children with cancer, are known to be cardiotoxic, but the mechanism by which they induce cardiac damage is still not fully understood. A higher cumulative anthracycline dose and a younger age of diagnosis are only a few of the many risk factors that identify the children at increased risk of developing cardiotoxicity. While cardiotoxicity can develop at anytime, starting from treatment initiation and well into adulthood, identifying the best cardioprotective measures to minimize the long-term damage caused by anthracyclines in children is imperative. Dexrazoxane is the only known agent to date, that is associated with less cardiac dysfunction, without reducing the oncologic efficacy of the anthracycline doxorubicin in children. Given the serious long-term health consequences of cancer treatments on survivors of childhood cancers, it is essential to investigate new approaches to improving the safety of cancer treatments.

Protective effects of dexrazoxane against acute ischaemia/reperfusion injury of rat hearts.

Dexrazoxane (DEX), an inhibitor of topoisomerase II and intracellular iron chelator, is believed to reduce the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protects the heart from the toxicity of anthracycline antineoplastics. As ROS also play a role in the pathogenesis of cardiac ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, the aim was to find out whether DEX can improve cardiac ischaemic tolerance. DEX in a dose of 50, 150, or 450 mg·(kg body mass)(-1) was administered intravenously to rats 60 min before ischaemia. Myocardial infarct size and ventricular arrhythmias were assessed in anaesthetized open-chest animals subjected to 20 min coronary artery occlusion and 3 h reperfusion. Arrhythmias induced by I/R were also assessed in isolated perfused hearts. Only the highest dose of DEX significantly reduced infarct size from 53.9% ± 4.7% of the area at risk in controls to 37.5% ± 4.3% without affecting the myocardial markers of oxidative stress. On the other hand, the significant protective effect against reperfusion arrhythmias occurred only in perfused hearts with the dose of DEX of 150 mg·kg(-1), which also tended to limit the incidence of ischaemic arrhythmias. It is concluded that DEX in a narrow dose range can suppress arrhythmias in isolated hearts subjected to I/R, while a higher dose is needed to limit myocardial infarct size in open-chest rats.

Dexrazoxane provided moderate protection in a catecholamine model of severe cardiotoxicity.

Positive effects of dexrazoxane (DEX) in anthracycline cardiotoxicity have been mostly assumed to be associated with its iron-chelating properties. However, this explanation has been recently questioned. Iron plays also an important role in the catecholamine cardiotoxicity. Hence in this study, the influence of DEX on a catecholamine model of acute myocardial infarction (100 mg/kg of isoprenaline by subcutaneous injection) was assessed: (i) the effects of an intravenous dose of 20.4 mg/kg were analyzed after 24 h, (ii) the effects were monitored continuously during the first two hours after drug(s) administration to examine the mechanism(s) of cardioprotection. Additional in vitro experiments on iron chelation/reduction and influence on the Fenton chemistry were performed both with isoprenaline/DEX separately and in their combination. DEX partly decreased the mortality, reduced myocardial calcium overload, histological impairment, and peripheral haemodynamic disturbances 24 h after isoprenaline administration. Continuous 2 h experiments showed that DEX did not influence isoprenaline induced atrioventricular blocks and had little effect on the measured haemodynamic parameters. Its protective effects are probably mediated by inhibition of late myocardial impairment and ventricular fibrillation likely due to inhibition of myocardial calcium overload. Complementary in vitro experiments suggested that iron chelation properties of DEX apparently did not play the major role.

Dexrazoxane for the prevention of cardiac toxicity and treatment of extravasation injury from the anthracycline antibiotics.

The cumulative cardiac toxicity of the anthracycline antibiotics and their propensity to produce severe tissue injury following extravasation from a peripheral vein during intravenous administration remain significant problems in clinical oncologic practice. Understanding of the free radical metabolism of these drugs and their interactions with iron proteins led to the development of dexrazoxane, an analogue of EDTA with intrinsic antineoplastic activity as well as strong iron binding properties, as both a prospective cardioprotective therapy for patients receiving anthracyclines and as an effective treatment for anthracycline extravasations. In this review, the molecular mechanisms by which the anthracyclines generate reactive oxygen species and interact with intracellular iron are examined to understand the cardioprotective mechanism of action of dexrazoxane and its ability to protect the subcutaneous tissues from anthracycline-induced tissue necrosis.

Changes in cardiac biomarkers during doxorubicin treatment of pediatric patients with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia: associations with long-term echocardiographic outcomes.

PURPOSE: Doxorubicin causes cardiac injury and cardiomyopathy in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Measuring biomarkers during therapy might help individualize treatment by immediately identifying cardiac injury and cardiomyopathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Children with high-risk ALL were randomly assigned to receive doxorubicin alone (n = 100; 75 analyzed) or doxorubicin with dexrazoxane (n = 105; 81 analyzed). Echocardiograms and serial serum measurements of cardiac troponin T (cTnT; cardiac injury biomarker), N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP; cardiomyopathy biomarker), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP; inflammatory biomarker) were obtained before, during, and after treatment. RESULTS: cTnT levels were increased in 12% of children in the doxorubicin group and in 13% of the doxorubicin-dexrazoxane group before treatment but in 47% and 13%, respectively, after treatment (P = .005). NT-proBNP levels were increased in 89% of children in the doxorubicin group and in 92% of children in the doxorubicin-dexrazoxane group before treatment but in only 48% and 20%, respectively, after treatment (P = .07). The percentage of children with increased hsCRP levels did not differ between groups at any time. In the first 90 days of treatment, detectable increases in cTnT were associated with abnormally reduced left ventricular (LV) mass and LV end-diastolic posterior wall thickness 4 years later (P < .01); increases in NT-proBNP were related to an abnormal LV thickness-to-dimension ratio, suggesting LV remodeling, 4 years later (P = .01). Increases in hsCRP were not associated with any echocardiographic variables. CONCLUSION: cTnT and NT-proBNP may hold promise as biomarkers of cardiotoxicity in children with high-risk ALL. Definitive validation studies are required to fully establish their range of clinical utility.

Savene® (dexrazoxane) use in clinical practice.

INTRODUCTION: Anthracycline extravasation (ACEV) is a rare but potentially devastating event which can result in severe injuries including ulceration and necrosis, slow-healing lesions, serious joint damage and permanent disfigurement. It can delay further scheduled chemotherapy and affect cancer treatment outcome. Savene® (dexrazoxane) is the only approved antidote for ACEV in Europe (Totect® in the USA) and is administered by intravenous infusion. Its efficacy has been demonstrated in clinical trials with biopsy-verified ACEV with a 98% success rate (no need for surgical debridement) allowing for immediate continuation of chemotherapy in 71% of patients. Adverse events, mainly haematological toxicity, were rapidly reversible. The objective of the study was to assess, in clinical practice, the efficacy and safety profile of Savene® for ACEV in different Belgian hospitals. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A survey of Savene® use was conducted in Belgium from 2007 to 2010 by using a questionnaire sent to 44 hospitals. MAIN RESULTS: Data were obtained for 41 cancer patients, 68% (28/41) had ACEV from central venous catheters. Surgical debridement due to ACEV could be avoided in 26 out of 28 extravasations from a central venous access and in 95% (39/41) of the total population treated with Savene®. Planned chemotherapy was maintained in 73% (30/41) of patients. Eight adverse events were reported in four patients treated with Savene®, six events were assessed to be of common toxicity criteria grades 1-2 (nausea, leucopenia and arm pain) and two events (neutropenia and pancytopenia) were assessed to be grade 3. CONCLUSION: These data are comparable with the data from previous clinical trials and confirm the efficacy and safety profile of Savene® in clinical practice for the treatment of anthracycline extravasation, including extravasations from central venous catheters.