Pharmacology and therapeutic efficacy of bleomycin administered by continuous infusion

A study was done at Memorial Hospital in which Bleomycin was given by continuous intravenous infusion to radiation therapy patients with a variety of far advanced unresectable malignant neoplastic diseases. Smaller doses than usual were administered initially, approximately 1/10 the dose that had been previously studied. The dose was gradually escalated when it was shown that there was no acute toxicity from the smaller dose. Bleomycin blood levels were measured by bioassay and pulmonary function was studied by measurement of total lung capacity and carbon monoxide diffusing capacity. In this study, therapeutic activity in cervix cancer appeared to be significantly better than in earlier studies by the same group of investigators. However, in vitro and animal studies in the author's own clinical pharmacologic studies support the logic of continuous intravenous administration in the effort to decrease pulmonary toxicity and to improve therapeutic effect