Early recognition of renal toxicity of high-dose methotrexate therapy: a case report

J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2008 Dec;30(12):950-2. doi: 10.1097/MPH.0b013e318182e73e.

Abstract

A 10-year-old boy with osteosarcoma and normal renal function manifested laboratory evidence of impending renal toxicity and extreme elevation of aspartate aminotrasferase and alanine aminotransferase within 2 hours after the completion of a 4-hour infusion of high-dose methotrexate (MTX) (12 g/m2), and went on to develop acute renal failure with life-threatening hyperkalemia 29 hours later. Although his renal function recovered completely with high-dose leucovorin, hemodialysis, charcoal hemoperfusion, and carboxypeptidase G2, we present this case to emphasize that signs of renal toxicity may be present as early as 2 hours after the completion of a 4-hour MTX infusion, and to suggest that monitoring for MTX toxicity should perhaps begin within a few hours after the completion of 4-hour MTX infusion.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury / chemically induced
  • Acute Kidney Injury / diagnosis*
  • Acute Kidney Injury / therapy
  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / adverse effects*
  • Bone Neoplasms / complications
  • Bone Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Child
  • Drug Monitoring*
  • Humans
  • Leucovorin / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Methotrexate / adverse effects*
  • Osteosarcoma / complications
  • Osteosarcoma / drug therapy*
  • gamma-Glutamyl Hydrolase / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
  • gamma-Glutamyl Hydrolase
  • Leucovorin
  • Methotrexate