Bleomycin concentration in patientsʹ plasma and tumors after electrochemotherapy : a study from InspECT Group

Grošelj, Aleš (author), Bošnjak, Maša (author), Kržan, Mojca (author), Kosjek, Tina (author), Bottyán, Krisztina (author), Plešnik, Helena (author), Jamšek, Črt (author), Čemažar, Maja (author), Kis, Erika (author), Serša, Gregor (author)

The plasma concentration profile of bleomycin in the distribution phase of patients younger than 65 years is needed to determine the suitable time interval for efficient application of electric pulses during electrochemotherapy. Additionally, bleomycin concentrations in the treated tumors for effective tumor response are not known. In this study, the pharmacokinetic profile of bleomycin in the distribution phase in 12 patients younger than 65 years was determined. In 17 patients, the intratumoral bleomycin concentration was determined before the application of electric pulses. In younger patients, the pharmacokinetics of intravenously injected bleomycin demonstrated a faster plasma clearance rate than that in patients older than 65 years. This outcome might indicate that the lowering of the standard bleomycin dose of 15,000 IU/m$^2$ with intravenous bleomycin injection for electrochemotherapy is not recommended in younger patients. Based on the plasma concentration data gathered, a time interval for electrochemotherapy of 5–15 min after bleomycin injection was determined. The median bleomycin concentration in tumors 8 min after bleomycin injection, at the time of electroporation, was 170 ng/g. Based on collected data, the reduction of the bleomycin dose is not recommended in younger patients; however, a shortened time interval for application of electric pulses in electrochemotherapy to 5–15 min after intravenous bleomycin injection should be considered.

• Language: English
• Keywords: electrochemotherapy, electroporation, bleomycin, pharmacokinetics, blood samples, tumor samples, drug delivery
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: MF - Faculty of Medicine; FFA - Faculty of Pharmacy; ZF - Faculty of Health Sciences
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2021
• Number of pages: 12 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, iss. 9, art. 1324
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-135949
• UDC: 602.6/.7
• ISSN on article: 1999-4923
• DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13091324
• COBISS.SI-ID: 74740739
• Publication date in RUL: 04.04.2022

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Pharmaceutics
• Shortened title: Pharmaceutics
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 1999-4923
• COBISS.SI-ID: 517949977

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.
• Licensing start date: 01.09.2021

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: elektrokemoterapija, elektroporacija, bleomycin