Clinical Utility of Body Weight Monitoring During Cisplatin-based Chemotherapy

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Oncology
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Cisplatin (CDDP) chemotherapy can cause acute kidney injury (AKI), with urine output being a key clinical indicator.
• Urine collection poses exposure risks for healthcare workers to cytotoxic anticancer drugs.
• Weight-based fluid balance assessment is a potential alternative for monitoring CDDP-induced AKI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate water intake, urine output, and body weight changes in patients undergoing CDDP chemotherapy.
• To determine the utility of weight monitoring as a practical indicator of fluid balance during CDDP-based chemotherapy.
• To assess the correlation between water balance and body weight changes.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 15 patients receiving CDDP-vinorelbine chemotherapy for non-small cell lung cancer was studied.
• Patients self-recorded oral fluid intake.
• Body weight changes were measured on days 2-4 relative to a baseline on day 1.

Main Results:

• No instances of CDDP-induced AKI were observed.
• Urine output initially decreased but recovered by day 3; body weight peaked on day 3 (+3.6 kg) and began decreasing on day 4.
• A significant positive correlation (r=0.68) was found between water balance and next-morning weight change.

Conclusions:

• Weight monitoring serves as a practical indicator of fluid balance during CDDP chemotherapy.
• This method may decrease healthcare worker exposure to anticancer agents.
• Weight monitoring is a viable alternative to urine output for assessing fluid status and AKI risk.