The association of cisplatin pharmacokinetics and skeletal muscle mass in patients with head and neck cancer: The prospective PLATISMA study

Background: Locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is commonly treated with cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Cisplatin is associated with severe toxicity, which negatively affects survival. In recent years, a relationship between low skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and increased toxicity has been described. This increased toxicity may be related to altered cisplatin distribution and binding in the fat-free body mass of which SMM is the largest contributor. This study aims to investigate the association between cisplatin pharmacokinetics and SMM in patients with HNSCC.

Methods: We performed a prospective observational study in patients with HNSCC treated with CRT. Patients received standard-of-care chemotherapy with three cycles of cisplatin at a dose of 100 mg/m² per cycle. Quantitative data on SMM, measured on computed tomography scans and cisplatin pharmacokinetics (total and ultrafilterable plasma concentrations) were collected, as well as data on toxicity.

Results: A total of 45 evaluable patients were included in the study. A large proportion of the study population had a low SMM (46.7%). The majority of patients (57.8%) experienced cisplatin dose-limiting toxicities. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed a significant relationship between cisplatin pharmacokinetics and SMM, weight, fat-free mass and body surface area (p < 0.005). In a simulation, patients with a low SMM (<25.8 kg) were predicted to reach higher-bound cisplatin concentrations.

Conclusion: We found an association between cisplatin pharmacokinetics and SMM; however, this relationship was also seen between cisplatin pharmacokinetics and other body composition descriptors.