A recent study conducted by researchers at Mass General Brigham found that glucarpidase, an FDA-approved drug, may reduce kidney toxicity in patients undergoing high-dose methotrexate (MTX) chemotherapy.. This effect of the drug, if confirmed in further trials, could seriously affect the quality of life of people fighting cancer, writes Mass General Brigham.

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MTX, widely used to treat central nervous system cancer, carries serious risks such as acute kidney injury (AKI), liver damage and low white blood cell counts. By converting MTX into inactive metabolites within 15 minutes of administration, glucarpidase offers a rapid biochemical solution to the problem, but until now its actual clinical impact has remained largely untested.

In a study published in the journal Blood, researchers analyzed the records of 708 patients from 28 major American cancer centers and compared the treatment outcomes of those who received glucarpidase and those who did not.. The results showed that the likelihood of kidney recovery in patients receiving glucarpidase was 2.7 times higher. The drug also speeded recovery time and reduced the likelihood of developing severe neutropenia or liver toxicity.

The study used a technique called " Dr. Shruti Gupta, first author of the study and an associate physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, highlighted the unique role of glucarpidase as one of the few available antidotes for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced toxicity.

Although the drug was approved by the FDA back in 2012, its use has been inconsistent, due in part to the lack of comprehensive clinical studies to date.. Dr. David Leaf, senior author and director of AKI clinical and translational research in the Brigham Division of Renal Medicine, emphasized the rigor and precision of the research methodology, which included manual chart review to account for critical variables..

High-dose MTX chemotherapy, although effective in some cancers, requires a balance between its use and significant side effects. The authors hope that as evidence supporting the benefits of glucarpidase becomes available, it will become more widely used clinically.. " If people aren't using the drug, then patients aren't benefiting from it,"

MTX's ability to cross the blood-brain barrier has made it invaluable in the treatment of central nervous system cancers, but it has also increased the risk of organ toxicity in patients. Beyond the effectiveness of glucarpidase, the study is an example of the broader challenge of dealing with the side effects of cancer treatments, which can seriously impact patients' quality of life and adherence to treatment..

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Important! This article is based on and does not contradict the latest scientific and medical research. The text is for informational purposes only and does not contain medical advice.. To establish a diagnosis, be sure to consult a doctor.