Successful treatment with carboplatin and etoposide in a small-cell lung cancer patient undergoing hemodialysis

Chemotherapy for cancer patients with chronic renal failure, undergoing hemodialysis (HD), has not been well established. A 78-year-old woman with chronic renal failure due to hypertensive nephropathy, undergoing HD, was diagnosed with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) with multiple-organ metastases. She was treated with 4 cycles of carboplatin (CBDCA) and etoposide (ETP) chemotherapy and a partial response was achieved. She remained progression-free for at least 12 months after the completion of chemotherapy. Pharmacokinetic analysis (PK) revealed that both agents were rapidly eliminated by HD; however, the remnant platinum remained longer in the plasma. Chemotherapy with CBDCA and ETP was effective and could be safely administered to a patient with SCLC undergoing HD.