BPB Reports

Paper Details

BPB Reports
Vol. 4 No. 1 p.22-26 2021
Regular Article
Relationship Between Serum Potassium, Magnesium, and Calcium in Patients Receiving Cetuximab Therapy
  • Naohito Kawasaki (Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University / Kawasaki@phar.kindai.ac.jp)
Kaito Yamashiro 1) 2) , Atsushi Hirata 2) , Ryosuke Ota 2) , Fumihiko Ogata 1) , Takehiro Nakamura 1) , Naohito Kawasaki 1)
1) Faculty of Pharmacy, Kindai University , 2) Department of Pharmacy, Kindai University Nara Hospital
Received: January 09, 2021;   Accepted: January 20, 2021;   Released: February 04, 2021
Keywords: cetuximab, electrolyte abnormalities, magnesium, potassium, calcium
Abstracts

Cetuximab (Cmab) is known to cause electrolyte abnormalities, including hypomagnesemia, hypokalemia, and hypocalcemia. However, little is known about differences in these electrolyte levels between hypomagnesemia and non-hypomagnesemia group in patients receiving Cmab. Therefore, the aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between these serum electrolyte levels in patients undergoing Cmab therapy. A retrospective study was conducted to investigate patients for advanced or recurrent colorectal cancer and head and neck cancer, treated with a regimen composed of Cmab from 2012 to 2020 at the Kindai University Nara Hospital. A total of 113 patients were identified from the medical records, and 24 patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in this study. In the non-hypomagnesemia group, significant positively correlations were observed between calcium and potassium (p = 0.018), between potassium and magnesium (p = 0.008), and between magnesium and calcium (p = 0.038). Simultaneously, in the hypomagnesemia group, no statistically significant correlations were recorded between these electrolytes. The incidences of hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, and hypocalcemia were 25.0% (6/24), 29.2% (7/24), and 25.0% (6/24), respectively. Additionally, the onset of hypokalemia was significantly associated with the onset of hypocalcemia (p = 0.009). These data suggest that it is important to monitor these electrolyte levels, especially in patients who received Cmab with combination therapy.