Oral administration of mesna with ifosfamide

Abstract

Mesna can be given orally to simplify outpatient ifosfamide therapy. Oral administration of mesna solution or tablets has been approved in Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, and programs for registration are ongoing in other European countries and in the United States. This review summarizes dosing schedules and the incidence of hematuria in 47 clinical studies, in which oral mesna was given to at least 1,986 patients who received more than 6,475 courses of ifosfamide. Various doses and schedules of oral mesna, usually in combination with intravenously injected mesna, provided effective uroprotection for a wide range of ifosfamide regimens.