Carboplatin

This website is about the chemotherapy medication carboplatin.

Carboplatin is a chemotherapy agent used for treatment of many types of cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved carboplatin for use treating patients with ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer, and oncologists sometimes use carboplatin “off-label” for other cancers. Testicular, stomach, and bladder cancers are among those treated with carboplatin, as well as other carcinomas.

What is this chemotherapy agent?

Material about how carboplatin works in the body.

Research into carboplatin

Carboplatin kills cancer cells by binding to DNA and interfering with the cell's repair mechanism, which eventually leads to cell death. It is classified as an alkylating agents. (Alkylating agents can be used for most types of cancer, but are usually considered of greatest value in treating slow-growing cancers.) The platinum agents form strong chemical bonds with thiol sulfurs and amino nitrogens in proteins and nucleic acids.

It is considered a "second-generation" platinum agent. The first generation, cisplatin, is often called the "penicillin of cancer drugs" because it is used so widely. Carboplatin differs chemically from cisplatin by being a bigger molecule, with a dicarboxylate ligand. This slows the metabolic breakdown of the agent (it stays in the body longer) and reduces the rate of formation of toxic by-products.

The ligands that can be displaced by nucleophilic (electron-rich) atoms to form strong bonds with covalent characteristics.

New June 2008: Study finds carboplatin as effective as radiation for early testicular cancer.

Disclaimer

This site was not prepared by medical professionals. Consult a doctor for specific questions about treatment.