Distribution of platinum in human gynecologic tissues and pelvic lymph nodes after administration of cisplatin.

BACKGROUND

Defining tissue accumulation of platinum may be of importance, since it may provide a pharmacological explanation for organ-specific cisplatin activity. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of cisplatin at the tissue level in different gynecologic organs. The doses administered were equivalent to those used in neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens.

STUDY

DESIGN

Cisplatin was administered intravenously to patients with cervical or endometrial cancer 1 h before operation, and platinum accumulations in tissues were assayed by the atomic absorption method.

RESULTS

Platinum accumulation was highest in the cervix and next highest in the myometrium in both cancers. Platinum accumulation in ovary and lymph node was only 0.58 and 0.57 times that in the myometrium, respectively. In patients with cervical cancer, the platinum accumulations in the myometrium and cervix were significantly higher than in the ovary and lymph node. Platinum accumulation in cervical cancer tissue was lower than in the myometrium and cervix, suggesting that delivery of cisplatin to a cervical cancer is somewhat more difficult than to the normal cervix. In patients with endometrial cancer, there was significantly more accumulation in the cervix than in the ovary and lymph node.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicated that cisplatin was easily distributed to the cervix and myometrium, but not to the ovary, lymph node, and cancer tissues.