Evaluation of carboplatin pharmacokinetics in pediatric oncology by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

Carboplatin is widely used in pediatric oncology to treat different tumors. Aim of the present study was to assess the potential of sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICPMS) in evaluating the area under the plasma platinum concentration vs time curve in pediatric patients presenting solid tumors and treated with carboplatin 349-1000 mg m-2. Seventeen patients were enrolled and 23 courses of chemotherapy were evaluated. Plasma was ultrafiltered and free carboplatin was measured in ultrafiltrates as platinum by SF-ICP-MS. Comparison was made between different equations to obtain a target AUC. Limits of detection and of quantification, intra- and inter-day repeatability of the measurements, recovery of the 'free-carboplatin' confirmed SF-ICP-MS as a reliable technique in the quantification of serum platinum in anticancer carboplatin-based therapies.