To determine whether forced diuresis and sodium loading or sodium loading alone is better at preventing cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity.

Records of 92 patients receiving cisplatin >40 mg/m(2) and sodium loading with or without mannitol were reviewed to determine the incidence of nephrotoxicity, average decline in creatinine clearance, degree of nephrotoxicity, time to resolution, rates of hospitalization, and electrolyte abnormalities among patients receiving sodium loading or sodium loading with forced diuresis.

The mean cisplatin dose was 64.5 mg/m(2) with a majority of the subjects receiving treatment for lung cancer. The patients who received sodium loading experienced an average decline in creatinine clearance of 33.9 mL/min versus a decline of 38.9 mL/min in the group receiving forced diuresis and sodium loading (p = 0.09). Incidence of nephrotoxicity, rate of hospitalization and rates of hypokalemia or hypomagnesemia were similar between the groups. Time to resolution of nephrotoxicity was significantly different between the groups, although there were limitations in evaluating this outcome. Majority of the subjects in the sodium loading group experienced NCIC-TC Grade 0 nephrotoxicity, whereas half of the patients in the forced diuresis group experienced Grade 2 nephrotoxicity.

We detected no difference in the prevention of cisplatin-induced nephrotoxicity when patients were treated with sodium loading alone or with sodium loading with mannitol. No differences were detected in average decrease in creatinine clearance, incidence of nephrotoxicity, or rates of hypomagnesemia and hypokalemia. The difference in time to resolution of toxicity appeared to be significant, however there were limitations in evaluating this outcome.