Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May;88(5):2456-2472.
doi: 10.1111/bcp.15134. Epub 2022 Feb 8.

Medication therapy of high-dose methotrexate: An evidence-based practice guideline of the Division of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Chinese Pharmacological Society

Affiliations
Free article

Medication therapy of high-dose methotrexate: An evidence-based practice guideline of the Division of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Chinese Pharmacological Society

Zaiwei Song et al. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2022 May.
Free article

Abstract

Aims: A lot of medication risks related to high-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) therapy still remain to be identified and standardized. This study aims to establish an evidence-based practice guideline for individualized medication of HDMTX.

Methods: The practice guideline was launched by the Division of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring, Chinese Pharmacological Society. The guideline was developed following the WHO handbook for guideline development and the methodology of evidence-based medicine (EBM). The guideline was initially registered in the International Practice Guidelines Registry Platform (IPGRP-2017CN021). Systematic reviews were conducted to synthesize available evidence. A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted using questionnaires to evaluate patients' perception and willingness concerning individualized medication of HDMTX. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to rate the quality of evidence and to grade the strength of recommendations.

Results: Multidisciplinary working groups were included in this guideline, including clinicians, pharmacists, methodologists, pharmacologists and pharmacoeconomic specialists. A total of 124 patients were involved to integrate patient values and preferences. Finally, the guideline presents 28 recommendations, regarding evaluation prior to administration (renal function, liver function, pleural effusion, comedications, genetic testing), pre-treatment and routine dosing regimen, therapeutic drug monitoring (necessity, method, timing, target concentration), leucovorin rescue (initial timing, dosage regimen and optimization), and management of toxicities. Of these, 12 are strong recommendations.

Conclusions: We developed an evidence-based practice guideline with respect to HDMTX medication using a rigorous and multidisciplinary approach. This guideline provides comprehensive and practical recommendations involving the whole process of HDMTX administration to health care providers.

Keywords: GRADE; guideline; methotrexate; therapeutic drug monitoring.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

References

REFERENCES

    1. Jolivet J, Cowan KH, Curt GA, Clendeninn NJ, Chabner BA. The pharmacology and clinical use of methotrexate. N Engl J Med. 1983;309(18):1094-1104.
    1. Howard SC, McCormick J, Pui CH, Buddington RK, Harvey RD. Preventing and managing toxicities of high-dose methotrexate. Oncologist. 2016;21(12):1471-1482.
    1. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Version 1), 2021. http://nccn.org/. Accessed April 1, 2021.
    1. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: B-Cell Lymphomas (Version 3), 2021. http://nccn.org/. Accessed April 1, 2021.
    1. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Bone Cancer (Version 1), 2021. http://nccn.org/. Accessed April 1, 2021.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources