Performance evaluation of the HPLC diode array and evaporative light scattering detection for the implementation of dose-banded gemcitabine infusion bags.

Background: Dose banding (DB) was used to optimise the individualisation of patient treatments with gemcitabine (Gem) in order to improve workload planning at the pharmacy of the University Hospital Centre of Besançon (UHCB). A new simple and fast high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was also developed for the quantification of Gem without dilution of the infusion bags.

Methods: Individual doses of Gem preparations were retrospectively analysed over a 1-year period to determine the frequency of prepared doses.

A retrospective study of bifractionated CPT-11 with LF5FU infusion (FOLFIRI-3) in colorectal cancer patients pretreated with oxaliplatin and CPT-11 containing chemotherapies.

Objective: The chemotherapy regimen suitable for advanced colorectal cancer patients previously treated with 5 fluorouracil (5FU); oxaliplatin and irinotecan remains an unresolved issue. The poor response rates and progression-free survival achieved with FOLFIRI in the second-line of therapy and the schedule-dependent activity of irinotecan, prompted us to assess the efficacy and tolerability of FOLFIRI3 regimen in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) previously exposed to irinotecan and oxaliplatin.

Methods: Twenty-seven metastatic CRC patients previously exposed to irinotecan and/or oxaliplatin were treated with the FOLFIRI3 regimen.

[Prevention of preparation errors of cytotoxic drugs in centralized units: from epidemiology to quality assurance].

The centralized preparation of cytotoxic drugs is supposed to help preventing medication errors. Nevertheless, the residual risk of preparation errors has been demonstrated. Above all, prevention is based on the quality assurance policy.