Summary
A pharmacokinetic study of high dose intravenous melphalan, 180 mg/m2, was performed in eight patients. Plasma levels of melphalan declined in a biexponential fashion with a mean terminal half-life (t1/2β) of 61 min (range 40.3–132.8 min). Estimated peak concentrations ranged from 5.45 to 16.57 mcg/ml. The average volume of distribution at steady state (Vdss) and clearance were 0.479 ± 0.164 1/kg and 6.73 ± 1.60 ml/min/kg, respectively. These kinetic parameters are similar to those reported from studies using lower doses of melphalan.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Skipper HE, Schabel FM: Quantitative and cytotoxic studies in experimental tumor models. In: Holland and Frei (eds): Cancer Medicine. Lea & Febiger, Philadelphia, 1973, pp 629–638
Bruce WR, Meeker BE, Valeriote FA: Comparison of the sensitivity of normal hematopoietic and transplanted lymphoma colony-forming cells to chemotherapeutic agents administered in vivo. JNCI 37:233–245, 1966
Chang SY, Alberts DS, Melnick LR, Walson PD, Salmon SE: High-pressure liquid chromatographic analysis of melphalan plasma. J Pharm Sci 67:679–682, 1978
Metzler CM, Elfring GL, McEwen AJ: Users' Manual: Nonlin and associated programs, Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, MI, 1976
Tattersall MHN, Jarman M, Newlands ES, Holyhead L, Milstead RAV, Weinberg A: Pharmacokinetics of melphalan following oral or intravenous administration in patients with malignant disease. Eur J Cancer 14:507–513, 1978
Alberts DS, Chang SY, Chen HSG, Moon TI, Evans TL, Furner RL, Himmelstein JF: Kinetics of intravenous melphalan. Clin Pharmacol Ther 26:73–80, 1979
Bosanquet AG, Gilby ED: Pharmacokinetics of oral and intravenous melphalan during routine treatment of multiple myeloma. Eur J Cancer Clin Oncol 18:355–362, 1982
Brox L, Birkett L: Pharmacology of intravenous melphalan in patients with multiple myeloma. Cancer Treat Rev 6 (Supplement): 27–32, 1979
McElwain TJ, Hedley DW, Burton G, Clink HM, Gordon MY, Jarman M, Juttner CA, Millar JL, Milsted RAV, Prentice G, Smith IE, Spence D, Woods M: Marrow autotransplantation accelerates haematological recovery in patients with malignant melanoma treated with high-dose melphalan. Br J Cancer 40:72–80, 1979
Herzig RH, Lazarus HM, Forman WB, Rekate H, Lowder JN, Ingalls S: Central nervous system penetration of highdose intravenous L-phenylalanine mustard. (Abstract) Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol 22:531, 1981
Von Hoff DD, Casper J, Bradley E, Sandbach J, Jones D, Makuch R. Association between human tumor colonyforming assay results and response of an individual patient's tumor to chemotherapy. Am J Med 70:1027–1032, 1981
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hersh, M.R., Ludden, T.M., Kuhn, J.G. et al. Pharmacokinetics of high dose melphalan. Invest New Drugs 1, 331–334 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177417
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00177417