ABSTRACT
A rapid sensitive and selective method is developed for the plasma analysis of doxorubicin and its metabolites, doxorubicinol and doxorubicinone with daunorubicin as the internal standard, by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with fluorescence detection and a "zorbax ODS" column. An eluent containing tetrahydrofuran and trietylamine afforded improved efficiency and resolution and was used to resolve the four anthracycline derivatives in a sole isocratic run. An example of the plasma levels obtained in a cancerous patient after two different administrations is shown.
Subject(s)
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/methods , Doxorubicin/analogs & derivatives , Doxorubicin/blood , Naphthacenes/blood , Daunorubicin/blood , Daunorubicin/pharmacokinetics , Doxorubicin/pharmacokinetics , Doxorubicin/therapeutic use , Humans , Neoplasms/drug therapy , Reference ValuesABSTRACT
From April, 1978 to December, 1982, 87 cases of Ewing's sarcoma were registered in 12 centres of paediatric oncology in France. The results of a therapeutic protocol consisting of intensive chemotherapy (vincristine, cyclophosphamide and actinomycin with or without adriamycin) prior to tumoral irradiation, followed by maintenance chemotherapy are reported after 3 years' follow-up from the beginning of treatment. In localized sarcomas, complete remission (66/70) persisted without relapse or metastasis in 54% of the cases (78% in sarcomas of long bones, and 37% in sarcomas of short bones). In non-metastatic sarcomas of the ribs, the first remission persisted in 7/14 patients (50%). All these patients had been initially treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgical excision. These preliminary results emphasize the value of co-operative therapeutic trials in a rare tumour, demonstrate the effectiveness of the initial chemotherapy used against Ewing's sarcoma and are in favour of a combined treatment, including systematic excision, for Ewing's sarcomas affecting the ribs.