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Original Summaries of Selected CANCERLIT Records
Administration of Doxorubicin Encapsulated in Fat Micelles and Liposomes
Last modified on:
Tuesday, April 20, 1999 10:52:32
Copyright © 1994-2008, Information Ventures, Inc.
Doxorubicin is an active and widely used anticancer agent, but its
use is circumscribed by cardiac toxicity resembling congestive
heart failure. Administration of the drug encapsulated in fat
micelles, liposomes, is an approach that obviates some of this
toxicity, since the muscle fibers of the heart, unlike tumor cells,
cannot take up the liposomes. Two database records in the
September update from M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas,
describe the use of such drug formulations. In a Phase II study of
TLC D-99 (a liposomal doxorubicin) (ICDB/95613251) patients with
metastatic breast carcinoma received TLC D-99 (60 mg/m2 as a 60 min
iv infusion), 5-fluorouracil (500 mg/m2 - days 1 and 8) and
cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2) every 21 days. There were two (5%)
complete and 26 (63%) partial remissions, 10 (24%) static disease
and 3 (7%) cases of progressive disease. Median response duration
was 6.6 months. In the second part of the same study
(ICDB/95613252), serial cardiac monitoring including EKG, nuclear
scintiscan, echocardiography and endomyocardial biopsy (bx) were
reported for the same patients. Historical controls of iv bolus
doxorubicin would have predicted at the median dose of this study
(approximately 500 mg/m2) a 10% incidence of congestive heart
failure, and a cardiac bx score of 1.5. In fact, clinical
congestive heart failure was observed in only one patient, with a
history of X-irradiation and metastatic disease to the mediastinum
with pericardial involvement. The median bx score was 0.
Liposomal encapsulation of doxorubicin appears to permit greater
delivery of drug without incurring greater toxicity.
October, 1995
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