The frequency and severity of capecitabine-induced hypertriglyceridaemia in routine clinical practice: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Capecitabine is known to rarely cause raised serum triglycerides (TG). In our centre, several patients receiving capecitabine developed raised TG levels corresponding to the 'very high risk' category for potentially serious acute pancreatitis. METHODS: A fasting blood lipid screening protocol was introduced into clinical practice for patients receiving capecitabine. Patients with TGs >5 mmol l(-1) were treated and followed up. An 18-month prospective audit was performed to establish the incidence and severity of capecitabine-induced hypertriglyceridaemia (CIHT). RESULTS: A total of 304 patients received capecitabine for colorectal cancer between January 2008 and June 2009. Of these, 212 patients (70%) were screened and 8 (3.7%) developed clinically significant hypertriglyceridaemia requiring lipid-lowering therapy. Two of the eight patients had diabetes and one had pre-existing dyslipidaemia. One suffered cerebral infarction during chemotherapy. There were no cases of acute pancreatitis. Follow-up showed that serum TGs safely and rapidly returned to normal with appropriate treatment without discontinuation of capecitabine. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first prospective study evaluating CIHT. These results suggest that it should be classed as a 'common' undesired effect of capecitabine. Despite this, the incidence does not justify routine screening in all patients. Targeted screening in those with diabetes or pre-existing hyperlipidaemia is recommended, together with adoption of a clear management policy.

How many cisplatin administration protocols does your department use?

The introduction, 30 years ago, of the co-administration of appropriate hydration and ensuring a diuresis occurs during the administration of cisplatin was important in its development, allowing clinically significant doses to be given with acceptable rates of toxicity. The clinical usage of cisplatin has increased and hydration protocols have been amended to increase patient comfort and reduce resource utilization. We suspected that this had led to unnecessary variations in practice both in clinical trials and subsequently in the clinic. Therefore, we reviewed practice in the Edinburgh Cancer Centre and discovered that 25 different hydration protocols were in use, with wide variation in dilution of cisplatin, total fluid administered, use of electrolyte (potassium and magnesium) supplementation and diuretics. These differences are a reflection of adoption of variations in hydration regimes published in pivotal clinical trials. A review of the available evidence relating to cisplatin associated hydration regimens was performed and recommendations will be made for the future design of evidence-based protocols.