Diethyldithiocarbamate chemoprotection of carboplatin-induced hematological toxicity

Abstract

Carboplatin therapy has a more favorable toxicity profile than cisplatin and, given in appropriate doses, is equivalent in efficacy to cisplatin for suboptimal ovarian cancer. However myelosuppression frequently curtails therapy with carboplatin. Diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) is a thiol compound and heavy-metal-chelating agent that has been shown to protect against carboplatin-induced bone marrow suppression in animal models. This pilot study was undertaken to evaluate the ability of DDTC to ameliorate the degree and/or duration of myelosuppression from carboplatin chemotherapy in patients with relapsed ovarian cancer. Ten patients who had previously demonstrated a response to platinum-based..