Use of glucarpidase (carboxypeptidase‐G2) in pediatric cancer patients: 11‐year experience of a tertiary center

Abstract

Methotrexate is an essential drug in the treatment of childhood cancer that is not exempt from toxicities. Glucarpidase is a drug used to reduce the toxic concentration of plasma methotrexate in patients with delayed elimination or at risk of toxicity. We describe the characteristics of a cohort of pediatric patients that received glucarpidase and analyze its role in the treatment of toxicity induced by high doses of methotrexate (HDMTX).Retrospective observational study of all pediatric cancer patients who received glucarpidase between 2012 and 2022 at a single center.Fifteen patients were treated with a single dose of glucarpidase, eleven of them presented with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and received HDMTX at 5 g/m2 in 24‐hour infusion. In eight patients, glucarpidase was administered during the first cycle of HDMTX. The indication in thirteen cases was acute renal failure with delayed elimination of plasma methotrexate. The median maximum creatinine was 1.22 mg/dl (0.68 2.01 mg/dl), with a median increase over its baseline level of 313%. All patients normalized renal function after glucarpidase administration, with a median methotrexate excretion time of 193 hours (42–312 hours). No grade ≥2 adverse events derived from carboxypeptidase administration. Eleven patients received new doses of HDMTX in subsequent cycles, without new episodes of serious toxicity.The use of glucarpidase is effective and safe in the treatment of acute renal failure and methotrexate elimination delay in pediatric cancer patients. Further HDMTX doses may be prescribed without additional toxicities.