Shortened Hydration Protocol for ABC02 Chemotherapy Regimen

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    A prospective study of tolerance comparing the current hydration regimen for the ABC02 chemotherapy regimen versus a shorter hydration

  • IRAS ID

    214262

  • Contact name

    Harpreet Wasan

  • Contact email

    h.wasan@imperial.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    2 years, 2 months, 24 days

  • Research summary

    Following publication, in 2010 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the ABCO2 regimen has become the global routine standard of care in the treatment of bile duct cancers (cholangiocarcinomas) and gallbladder cancers. The study showed an overall survival advantage of 3.6 months with the addition of the low dose cisplatin to the standard gemcitabine alone regimen.
    The regimen includes a long hydration schedule based on historical use of high doses of cisplatin before the modern era of anti-emetics or anti sickness. The regimens remained conservative with copious volumes of hyper hydration for fear of the historical nephrotoxicity. These regimens take eight hours for delivery and risk fluid overload often requiring diuretic management.The ABC02 regimen is unique as the doses of cisplatin used are the lowest in any chemotherapy regimen at just 25/mg/m2/day on day 1 and day 8 of a 21 day cycle. The rates of nausea and vomiting were extremely low. Rates of significant kidney dysfunction were extremely low at less than 2% which is in keeping with non-drug related events and indeed were comparable to that seen in the gemcitabine alone arm. However, due to the original concerns regarding nephrotoxicity the patients were kept on the day unit for 6-8 hours for each day of treatment. It is logical that in this day of modern anti-sickness medication and with such low dose cisplatin a shorter hydration regimen should be assessed for tolerability, as in many hospitals they are already doing this without a formal quantitative understanding of the real risk. This could improve patient satisfaction and save the Trust time and money.

  • REC name

    London - Surrey Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    18/LO/1629

  • Date of REC Opinion

    12 Dec 2018

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion