Abstract

Chemotherapy is a systemic drug treatment for cancer that targets rapidly growing cells throughout the body. However, the risks of vascular and renal toxicity associated with anticancer drugs are a pressing concern. This study aimed to investigate nephrotoxicity and vascular risk in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy by measuring microalbuminuria. The analytical and prospective study was conducted over seven months (December 2021 to July 2022) at the Oncology Hospital Luxembourg in Mali. The study included 41 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, with 35 females and 6 males, and a mean age of 50.17 ± 11.81 years. Breast cancer was the most common type, accounting for 41% of cases. The results showed no statistically significant relationship (p = 0.98) between the mean concentrations of creatinine levels before and 3 months after initiating chemotherapy (77.65 ± 20.94 and 77.70 ± 22.6, respectively). Similarly, the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimated by the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation before and after initiating anticancer chemotherapy did not show a significant difference (p = 0.54), with values of 101.95 ± 31.74 and 102.14 ± 35.30, respectively. Three months after initiating chemotherapy, moderate and mild renal failure were found in 39.02% and 4.9% of patients, respectively. Microalbuminuria measurements after 3 months of treatment showed that 36.6% (n = 15) of patients had high microalbuminuria, while 63.4% (n = 26) had normal microalbuminuria (p = 0.354). A weak inverse correlation was observed between microalbuminuria and renal clearance, with r = -0.25 and p = 0.47. The study's results indicate that the majority of patients had urinary albumin excretion within physiological norms, but a significant proportion had high microalbuminuria, which correlated with decreased creatinine clearance. However, no association was found between microalbuminuria and cancer.

Key words: Nephrotoxicity, microalbuminuria, cancer, chemotherapy.