Assessment of platinum-induced nephrotoxicity in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment

Abstract

704 thousand new cases of cancer are expected in Brazil for each year of the 2023-2025 triennium. Cancer treatment modalities involve surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, antineoplastic drugs can affect normally functioning body cells, generating toxic effects on the body. Among the chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of cancer, cisplatin was one of the first platinum-derived compounds to be discovered, however its use limiting factor is the development of complications such as nephrotoxicity. After the discovery of side effects in the use of cisplatin, an attempt was made to obtain analogues that produced fewer side effects, leading to the second generation of platinum, carboplatin and then oxaliplatin. The objective was to evaluate the occurrence of platinum-induced nephrotoxicity in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment with these antineoplastics. A descriptive analysis of all study variables was carried out. 160 patients participated in the study. The majority were female, representing 62.5%. Around 57.5% of patients were under 60 years of age, and 73% of the sample declared themselves as brown/yellow. The majority did not have comorbidities and did not have harmful lifestyle habits. 30% of patients had metastasis. Of the total sample, 28 patients were identified with Stage 1 Acute Kidney Injury, 1 patient with Stage 2, and 2 patients with Stage 3. The most nephrotoxic drug was cisplatin. Male patients and those with metastases were more likely to develop kidney damage during the use of platinum. From the research, it was possible to draw a profile of patients who used platinum-derived antineoplastics and identify the medication most involved in this problem. Expanding knowledge on the topic allows strategies to be designed to prevent the problem, promoting treatment with fewer adverse reactions for cancer patients.