High dose methotrexate infusion is widely used in the treatment of malignancies such as leukemia, high risk lymphoma, and osteosarcoma. It can be associated with multiple adverse effects, especially renal toxicity, which could leads to acute kidney injury (AKI), delaying drug elimination and worsening its toxicity. Leucovorin, a reduce folic acid, is commonly used with methotrexate treatment to lessen its toxicity. After administration of methotrexate, serum creatinine and methotrexate concentration should be closely monitored. The levels of serum methotrexate to be associated with a high risk for nephrotoxicity are: 24 h, > 10 μmol/L; 48 h, > 1 μmol/L; 72 h, > 0.1 μmol/L.
In this case, the patient is a 33-yo old male with T-lymphoblastic leukemia in complete remission. He was given consolidation therapy with high dose methotrexate. Leucovorin rescue was given 24 hours after methotrexate administration. Patient’s methotrexate level was at 4.7 μmol/L 3 days postinfusion due to AKI and poor methotrexate clearance. An alternative rescue, glucarpidase (Garboxypeptidase G2), was then given to patient to rapidly lower serum methotrexate level. Glucarpidase cleaves methotrexate molecule to inactive metabolite, DAMPA (2,4-diamino-N-methylpteroic acid). After glucarpidase rescue, patient’s methotrexate level were still remained above the toxic level on the following two days (1.02 μmol/L and 0.68 μmol/L).
In most clinical laboratories, serum methotrexate is measured by immunoassays, and the inactive metabolite of methotrexate after glucarpidase rescue, DAMPA, cross-reacts with immunoassays and interferes the measurement of methotrexate. After glucarpidase treatment, patient’s methotrexate level can be falsely high for 5-7 days, before accurate measurement can be obtained using immunoassays. In this case, the concentrations of methotrexate after glucarpidase rescue were falsely high results due to DAMPA interference. There are laboratory-developed LC-MS methods to detect methotrexate. LC-MS methods are more specific and have no interference from the metabolite, can be used for accurate methotrexate measurement in the case of glucarpidase rescue.
-Xin Yi, PhD, DABCC, FACB, is a board-certified clinical chemist, currently serving as the Co-director of Clinical Chemistry at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
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