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Preliminary results of identification and quantification of paclitaxel and its metabolites in human meconium from newborns with gestational chemotherapeutic exposure
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Preliminary results of identification and quantification of paclitaxel and its metabolites in human meconium from newborns with gestational chemotherapeutic exposure

Elyce Cardonick, Robert Broadrup, Peining Xu, Mary T. Doan, Helen Jiang and Nathaniel W. Snyder
PloS one, v 14(2), pp e0211821-e0211821
20 Feb 2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211821
PMID: 30785914
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0211821View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Multidisciplinary Sciences Science & Technology Science & Technology - Other Topics
Objective Cancer diagnosis during pregnancy occurs in 1 out of 1000 pregnancies with common malignancies including breast and hematological cancers. Fetal exposure to currently utilized agents is poorly described. We directly assessed fetal exposure by screening meconium from 23 newborns whose mothers had undergone treatment for cancer during pregnancy. Study design Meconium was collected from newborns whose mothers were diagnosed with cancer during pregnancy and underwent chemotherapy in the second or third trimester as part of the Cancer and Pregnancy Registry. We conducted screening of 23 meconium samples for chemotherapeutics and known metabolites of chemotherapeutics by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS). Putative identification of paclitaxel and/or its metabolites was made in 8 screened samples. In positively screened samples, we quantified paclitaxel, 3'-p-hydroxypaclitaxel, and 6 alpha-hydroxypaclitaxel by stable isotope dilution-LC-HRMS. Results Mean (standard deviation) levels of paclitaxel in positively screened samples were 399.9 (248.6) pg/mg in meconium samples from newborn born to mothers that underwent chemotherapy during pregnancy. 3'-p-hydroxypaclitaxel and 6a-hydroxypaclitaxel mean levels were 105.2 (54.6) and 113.4 (48.9) pg/mg meconium, respectively. Conclusion Intact paclitaxel, 3'-p-hydroxypaclitaxel, and 6 alpha-hydroxypaclitaxel were detected in meconium, providing unambiguous confirmation of human fetal exposure. Variability in meconium levels between individuals may indicate a potential for reducing fetal exposure based on timing, dosing, and individual characteristics. This preliminary study may provide an approach for examining the effects of cancer diagnosis during pregnancy on other outcomes by providing a measure of direct fetal exposure.

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13 citations in Web of Science
11 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#5 Gender Equality
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Oncology
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