Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of prednisolone in paediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treated according to Dutch Childhood Oncology Group protocols and its relation to treatment response

Sebastiaan D T Sassen, Ron A A Mathôt, Rob Pieters, Valérie de Haas, Gertjan J L Kaspers, Cor van den Bos, Wim J E Tissing, D Maroeska W W Te Loo, Marc B Bierings, Inge M van der Sluis, C Michel Zwaan

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Glucocorticoids form the backbone of paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) treatment. Many studies have been performed on steroid resistance; however, few studies have addressed the relationship between dose, concentration and clinical response. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of prednisolone in the treatment of paediatric ALL and the correlation with clinical parameters. A total of 1028 bound and unbound prednisolone plasma concentrations were available from 124 children (aged 0-18 years) with newly diagnosed ALL enrolled in the Dutch Childhood Oncology Group studies. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed and post hoc area under the curve (AUC) was tested against treatment outcome parameters. The pharmacokinetics of unbound prednisolone in plasma was best described with allometric scaling and saturable binding to proteins. Plasma protein binding decreased with age. The AUC of unbound prednisolone was not associated with any of the disease parameters or treatment outcomes. Unbound prednisolone plasma concentrations correlated with age. No effect of exposure on clinical treatment outcome parameters was observed and does not substantiate individualised dosing. Poor responders, high-risk and relapsed patients showed a trend towards lower exposure compared to good responders. However, the group of poor responders was small and requires further research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)423-432
Number of pages10
JournalBritish journal of haematology
Volume194
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2021

Keywords

  • Adolescent
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal/blood
  • Area Under Curve
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Male
  • Netherlands/epidemiology
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/blood
  • Prednisolone/blood
  • Prospective Studies
  • Treatment Outcome

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Evaluation of the pharmacokinetics of prednisolone in paediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia treated according to Dutch Childhood Oncology Group protocols and its relation to treatment response'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this