Journal of Pharmacovigilance

Abstract

Breath Alcohol Concentration in Japanese Breast Cancer Patients Following Alcohol-Containing Chemotherapeutic Agent Infusion

Naoko Itoi, Hajime Abe, Tsuyoshi Mori, Yuki Kawai, Yoshihiro Kubota, Tomoko Umeda and Tohru Tani

Background: Preparations containing dehydrated ethanol as an additive, due to its water-insoluble properties, have been frequently used for chemotherapeutic agents, such as paclitaxel (PTX), docetaxel (DOC) and eribulin. When selecting these drugs, the influence of alcohol on the central nervous system (CNS) must be considered. In this study, we measured the breath alcohol concentration (BAC) in Japanese breast cancer patients treated with these agents.
Method: Japanese patients with breast cancer receiving outpatient chemotherapy with alcohol-containing agents were registered. The BAC was measured immediately after drip infusion and 30 and 60 minutes later.
Result: Thirty-one female patients were enrolled in this study. Breath alcohol was detected in 18 patients (58%) immediately after administration: 6 patients (75%) with PTX, 10 (50%) with DOC and 2 (67%) with eribulin. After 30 minutes, no patient had BAC over 0.15 mg/L, but breath alcohol under 0.1 mg/L was detected in 1 patient with PTX and 1 with DOC after 60 minutes.
Conclusion: The influence of alcohol may disappear 60 minutes or more after administration, making it possible to travel home safely at this time.