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Original Studies |
Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e Biologiche, Medicina Interna I (M.T., A.P., G.O., A.A., A.A.) and Oncologia Medica (A.B., L.D.), Università di Torino, 10043 Torino; and Laboratorio Medico Cesare Battisti (V.C., E.T.), 10023 Chieri, Italy
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: M. Terzolo, M.D., Unitá Operativa Autonoma a Direzione Universitaria Medicina Interna I, Azienda Sanitaria Ospedaliera San Luigi, Regione Gonzole 10, 10043 Orbassano (TO), Italy. E-mail: terzolo{at}usa.net
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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In a retrospective study, van Slooten et al. (11) suggested
that the achievement of appropriate serum mitotane levels (
14
µg/mL) is mandatory to fully exploit its therapeutic action, whereas
drug levels exceeding 20 µg/mL should be viewed as toxic. Haak
et al. (12) confirmed the value of this approach,
demonstrating a positive effect of mitotane therapy on the survival of
ACC patients when the threshold value of 14 µg/mL was reached.
The pharmacokinetics of mitotane are characterized by prevalent accumulation in adipose tissue and lower circulating levels (13). The semilogarhythmic relationship observed between plasma and tissue concentrations during therapy may explain the narrow therapeutic range (13). These studies emphasize the need for blood monitoring, but a mitotane assay is available only in research settings.
The aim of the present study was to perform a prospective evaluation of the tolerance of a low dose mitotane regimen in patients with ACC. The treatment was adjusted by monitoring plasma mitotane levels to maintain therapeutic drug concentrations between 1420 µg/mL according to the above-mentioned studies (11, 12). The working hypothesis was that the greater compliance in taking regularly a better tolerated, low dose treatment could provide more consistently therapeutic mitotane levels.
| Subjects and Methods |
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From 1994 to the present 15 patients with ACC were treated with
mitotane at our institution. In 7 of them, the drug was given in
association with etoposide, doxorobucin, and cisplatin (EDP regimen)
according to the treatment schedule of a prospective phase II trial
(14). The remaining 8 patients (4 females and 4 males; aged 4562 yr;
median age, 52 yr) were not enrolled in this trial for ineligibility
(poor performance status in cases 1 and 8, previous chemotherapy in
cases 5 and 6, and disease-free status in cases 4 and 7), or
chemotherapy refusal (cases 2 and 3). These latter cases were
considered in the present study. Pertinent clinical data are given in
Table 1
. The study design was approved by
the local ethical committee, and informed consent was obtained from all
participants.
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Toxicity has been scored by means of a specific questionnaire to rate subjective symptoms while objective data were obtained as appropriate. Toxicity and tumor response was graded according to WHO criteria (17). A complete response was defined as the disappearance of all clinical evidence of tumor on physical examination and/or on radiography and the complete recalcification of all osteolytic metastases for a minimum of 4 weeks. A partial response required at least a 50% decrease in all measurable tumor size and 50% or more recalcification of osteolytic appearances of the duration of at least 4 weeks without the appearance of new lesions. Progressive disease was defined as a 25% or more increase in the size of any measurable lesion or the appearance of new lesions.
A complete hormone response was defined as the normalization of all biochemical parameters above the normal range; a partial hormone response was defined as a greater than 50% reduction in altered biochemical parameters compared with baseline; other results were defined as no response.
Mitotane assay
Mitotane assay was performed by a modified version of the methodology developed by Benecke et al. (18). Mitotane (o,p'-DDD) and its metabolite 1,1-(o,p'-dichlorodiphenyl)-2,2-dichloroethane (o,p'-DDE) were measured by a gas chromatograph (model 8500, Perkin-Elmer Corp., Palo Alto, CA) equipped with a 3H electron capture detection and fitted with a PT-5 fused silica capillary column (i.d., 30 m x 0.25 mm; film thickness, 0.25 µm). The instrument conditions were as follows: carrier gas, helium; carrier gas flow rate, 2.0 mL/min; column temperature, 220 C; injector temperature, 250 C; detector temperature, 350 C. Peak area integrations were performed using a Turbochrom Navigator (Perkin-Elmer Corp., Palo Alto, CA).
Mitotane and its metabolite o,p'-DDE and internal standard (p,p'-DDD) were purchased from Supelco (Bellefonte, PA). Stock standard solutions (1 mg/mL) were obtained dissolving o,p'-DDD, o,p'-DDE, and p,p'-DDD (100 mg each) in 100 mL ethanol. A series of working standard solutions containing 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, and 120 µg/mL o,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDE and a constant amount of 40 µg/mL p,p'-DDD in each solution was prepared by serial dilutions of the stock solutions with ethanol. Plasma standards were freshly prepared each day by spiking 200 µL drug-free plasma (blank plasma) with 20 µL of the working standard solutions to yield o,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDE concentrations ranging from 0.512 µg/mL in plasma; the concentration of the internal standard was then 4 µg/mL. The efficacy of the recovery was 95%. To each working standard solution, 100 µL acetone were added, and the mixture was shaken mechanically for 30 min. After the addition of 2 mL heptane, the drugs were extracted by mechanical shaking for 30 min. Then, 200 mg anhydrous sodium sulfate were added, and the mixture was centrifuged for 5 min at 3000 x g. About 0.5 µL of the heptane extract was inject into the chromatograph. Plasma samples (200 µL) from patients were spiked with 20 µL internal standard solution and treated in the same way. Each working day, six or seven plasma standards were assayed to construct a calibration graph. Thus, the calibration curve was prepared from drug-free plasma sample spiked with known amounts of o,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDE. The peak areas of o,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDE were measured, and the ratios of o,p'-DDD/p,p'-DDD and o,p'-DDE/p,p'-DDD were calculated. From a calibration curve, the amounts of mitotane and its metabolite present in 200 µL plasma from each patient were read. The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were less than 5%.
Statistical analysis
To compare individual regimens that were different in terms of daily dose of mitotane and duration of treatment, the total dose of mitotane was calculated and expressed as grams/days of treatment. Linear regression analysis was performed between the total dose of mitotane and its plasma levels at each time point evaluated. Levels of significance were set at P < 0.05.
| Results |
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-Glutamyl
transferase levels rose steeply in all patients, without alterations in
other liver function tests (Table 2
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| Discussion |
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The monitoring of plasma mitotane levels allows a potential threshold
to be reached with the lowest effective dose, thus limiting
side-effects. A better tolerance is achieved with stepwise dose
increments continuing (or reducing to) a lower dose until
gastrointestinal symptoms resolve. It is also effective to promptly
initiate steroid supplementation that, in some patients, requires doses
higher than those usually employed (22). This is an important point
because symptoms of adrenal insufficiency may be interpreted as
mitotane side-effects. A likely explanation may be the
mitotane-induced enhancement of steroid metabolism by microsomial liver
enzymes (23). Pertinently, high
-glutamyl transferase levels were
observed in all patients, as previously reported (24). Total
cholesterol frequently increases with treatment and reaches levels so
high that specific therapy may be advised in some patients. This
finding has been only occasionally reported (25).
Another novel finding of the present study is that it is possible to predict with sufficient accuracy the total dose needed to attain the therapeutic concentrations, at least with body proportions like those of our patients. The monitoring of plasma mitotane should be initiated when the patient has taken a total dose of about 300 g and then continued on a monthly basis when approaching the critical threshold. When the target is reached, adequate plasma levels of the drug can probably be maintained by regularly taking 12 g and measuring mitotane every 3 months to make individual dose adjustments.
To conclude, it is possible to design a standard schedule for mitotane treatment consisting of 3 g daily for about 34 months (or, if not tolerated, 2 g for 56 months) and then tapering to 12 g to be taken chronically. Mitotane dose reduction after having attained the threshold is critical to avoid toxicity as demonstrated by the first two patients who were not offered this option. This protocol is generally well tolerated, and it is able to provide therapeutic concentrations of the drug. The monitoring of mitotane levels helps to make individual dose adjustments, thus reducing toxic effects.
The present data provide a rationale to change the approach to mitotane treatment in ACC patients from high dose to low dose regimens. This alternative treatment modality is tantalizing for adjuvant mitotane treatment, which was introduced by Schteingart in 1982 (4) but has not gained broad acceptability, and for a combination treatment of mitotane with other chemotherapeutic agents, an approach that looks promising for advanced ACC (13, 26).
| Footnotes |
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Received September 21, 1999.
Revised November 2, 1999.
Revised January 12, 2000.
Accepted February 29, 2000.
| References |
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