Agreement and Precision Analyses of Various Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Formulae in Cancer Patients

The accuracy of the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in cancer patients is very important for dose adjustments of anti-malignancy drugs to reduce toxicities and enhance therapeutic outcomes. Therefore, the performance of eGFR equations, including their bias, precision, and accuracy, was explored in patients with varying stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) who needed anti-cancer drugs. The reference glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was assessed by the ^99mTc-diethylene triamine penta-acetic acid (^99mTc-DTPA) plasma clearance method in 320 patients and compared with the GFRs estimated by i) the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equation, ii) the unadjusted for body surface area (BSA) CKD-EPI equation, iii) the re-expressed Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) study equation with the Thai racial factor, iv) the Thai eGFR equation, developed in CKD patients, v) the 2012 CKD-EPI creatinine-cystatin C, vi) the Cockcroft-Gault formula, and vii) the Janowitz and Williams equations for cancer patients. The mean reference GFR was 60.5 ± 33.4 mL/min/1.73 m². The bias (mean error) values for the estimated GFR from the CKD-EPI equation, BSA-unadjusted CKD-EPI equation, re-expressed MDRD study equation with the Thai racial factor, and Thai eGFR, 2012 CKD-EPI creatinine-cystatin-C, Cockcroft-Gault, and Janowitz and Williams equations were -2.68, 1.06, -7.70, -8.73, 13.37, 1.43, and 2.03 mL/min, respectively, the precision (standard deviation of bias) values were 6.89, 6.07, 14.02, 11.54, 20.85, 10.58, and 8.74 mL/min, respectively, and the accuracy (root-mean square error) values were 7.38, 6.15, 15.97, 14.16, 24.74, 10.66, and 8.96 mL/min, respectively. In conclusion, the estimated GFR from the BSA-unadjusted CKD-EPI equation demonstrated the least bias along with the highest precision and accuracy. Further studies on the outcomes of anti-cancer drug dose adjustments using this equation versus the current standard equation will be valuable.