Systemic delivery of mitomycin C (MMC) was studied in 16 patients administrated mean dose of 19.7 mg of microencapsulated MMC (MMC-mc) by an intra-arterial infusion : 7 renal arterial infusions, 9 hypogastric arterial infusions. Pharmacokinetic data revealed a lower blood MMC availability for the hypogastric artery than for the renal artery ; this was attributed to differences in the blood flow rates at these two target sites. Direct comparison of systemic MMC level was possible for one patient, who serially received IA renal MMC-mc (10 mg) and IA renal MMC (10 mg in standardform). Peak concentration was much higher for MMC than that for MMC-mc. Hematological data of peripheral blood was influenced by embolization and cytotoxic activity of MMC. Bioavailability observed for these patients indicate, a quantitative local improvement in exposure to the drug and correlates well with the low incidence of systemic side effects noted in preliminary clinical studies.
