The impact of a solitary kidney on tolerability to gemcitabine plus cisplatin chemotherapy in urothelial carcinoma patients: a retrospective study

Purpose: There is little information on tolerability to cisplatin-based chemotherapies in patients with a solitary kidney after nephroureterectomy. We evaluated the impact of having a solitary kidney on tolerability to gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) chemotherapy in urothelial carcinoma patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients treated between August 2007 and November 2015. Eligible patients had received GC as first-line chemotherapy, including as neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment. Patients who commenced GC chemotherapy after nephroureterectomy comprised the solitary kidney (SK) group; the remaining patients (i.e., those with both kidneys) comprised the BK group. Incidences of hematologic toxicities and renal insufficiency were examined and compared between two groups. Results: There were 16 patients in the SK group and 31 in the BK group. The incidence of hematologic toxicity (grade 3/4) was not significantly different between the two groups (neutropenia: 68.8 vs. 74.2%, respectively (P = 0.959); thrombocytopenia: 31.2 vs. 51.6%, respectively (P = 0.307); and anemia: 12.5 vs. 38.7%, respectively (P = 0.094)). Multivariate analysis revealed no statistically significant association between having a SK and severe hematologic toxicities. Moreover, no significant differences were observed in the incidence of acute kidney injury. The mean differences in serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate between baseline and each post-chemotherapy cycle were similar when comparing the SK and BK groups. Conclusions: There is no evidence that tolerability to GC chemotherapy is inferior in patients with a solitary kidney. Therefore, there may be no need to avoid administering CDDP-based chemotherapy to such patients.