Cisplatin based chemotherapy in testicular cancer patients: long term platinum excretion and clinical effects

Patients with advanced testicular cancer (TC) have a very good long-term prognosis owing to cisplatin-based polychemotherapy. Platinum is believed to be excreted at a rapid rate via urine within weeks after chemotherapy. As a new, highly sensitive method has become available detecting even natural background platinum levels in body fluids, this study was set up to analyze urinary and serum platinum levels in long-term survivors of testicular neoplasm after cisplatin based polychemotherapy and to correlate clinical data with urinary and serum platinum levels. Urinary platinum concentrations were measured in 64 healthy controls (C) and 22 male patients (TC) 150 to 3022 days after the last application of i.v. cisplatin using voltammetry after UV-photolysis. In the latter group (TC), serum platinum levels were measured as well. Clinical data were analysed as to long-term organ toxicity. Mean urinary platinum levels were 2700 times higher in the patient group (TC) than natural background noise (p < 0.0001). There was a decline of urinary and serum platinum levels over time, being significantly above normal even 8 years after cisplatin exposure. The only significant variables related to the urine platinum concentration were a) the interval between the last i.v. cisplatin application and time of study and b) the total dose given. Not significant were the number of chemotherapy cycles, pre-therapy renal disease, patient age, tumour resection before/after chemotherapy, site of pre/post therapy resection, clinical staging, histological subtypes or tumour markers. Post-therapy renal disease or peripheral nerve damage were not significantly associated with urinary platinum levels. Our data indicate that even 8 years after cisplatin based chemotherapy 500 times elevated urinary and serum platinum levels can be measured in testicular cancer patients. No organ toxicity related to long-term platinum excretion could be detected. This may be due to our small sample size.