Purpose: To determine the toxicities, pharmacokinetics, and maximally tolerated doses of oxaliplatin in patients with hepatic impairment and to develop formal guidelines for oxaliplatin dosing in this patient population.

Experimental Design: Sixty adult cancer patients with variable hepatic function received i.v. oxaliplatin ranging from 60 to 130 mg/m² every 3 weeks. Patients were stratified by levels of total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (AP) into five cohorts based on the degree of hepatic dysfunction: control group A [bilirubin, AST, and AP ≤ upper limit of normal (ULN)], mild dysfunction group B (bilirubin ≤ ULN, ULN < AST ≤ 2.5 × ULN, or ULN < AP ≤ 5 × ULN), moderate dysfunction group C (ULN < bilirubin ≤ 3.0 mg/dL, AST > 2.5 × ULN, or AP > 5 × ULN), severe dysfunction group D (bilirubin > 3.0 mg/dL, any AST, and any AP), and liver transplantation group E (any bilirubin, any AST, and any AP). Doses were escalated in cohorts of three patients, and urine and plasma ultrafiltrates were assayed for platinum concentrations.

Results: Dose escalation of single-agent oxaliplatin to 130 mg/m² was well tolerated in all cohorts. Platinum clearance did not correlate with any liver function test. Two of 56 assessable patients with a diagnosis of laryngeal carcinoma and cervical adenocarcinoma experienced partial responses lasting 3 and 5.5 months.

Conclusions: Oxaliplatin at 130 mg/m² every 3 weeks was well tolerated in all patients with impaired liver function. Dose reductions of single-agent oxaliplatin are not indicated in patients with hepatic dysfunction.