Extravasations of Oxaliplatin (Correspondence)

Albrecht Kretzschmar1, Daniel Pink1, Peter Thuss-Patience1, Bernd Dörken1, Peter Reichart1, Robert Eckert2

1 Department of Medical Oncology, Robert Roessle Klinik, HELIOS Klinikum Berlin, Berlin
2 Department of Medicine, Staedtische Kliniken, Esslingen, Germany

To the Editor: Oxaliplatin is a platinum compound that has been used for about 8 years in Europe for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer in combination with fluorouracil, but little information is available on the consequence of extravasation of oxaliplatin. The drug is considered to be nonvesicant, as stated in the manufacturer’s summary of product characteristics. The parent compound cisplatin and its derivate carboplatin do not cause relevant problems after introduction into subcutaneous tissue.
Since the approval of oxaliplatin in Europe, hundreds of thousands of applications of the drug must have led to quite a number of accidental extravasations. There is, however, only one published case report of an extravasation of oxaliplatin from a peripheral vein, describing a severe oxaliplatin induced tissue necrosis.(1) The authors recommend a central venous catheter for any therapy with oxaliplatin. More information on the outcome of extravasation of oxaliplatin would be helpful for clinicians who use this drug.

REFERENCE
1. Baur M, Kienzer HR, Rath T, et al: Extravasation of oxaliplatin (Eloxatin): Clinical course. Onkologie 23:468–471, 2000
Journal of Clinical Oncology, Vol 21, Issue 21 (November), 2003: 4068-4069

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