Does the metabolite uracil arabinoside inhibit cytosine arabinoside (Ara‐C) penetration into the cerebrospinal fluid during high‐dose Ara‐C therapy?

A patient with acute leukaemia was treated with i.v. 2-h infusions of Ara-C at a dose of 3.0 g/m2 every 12 h. During 6 d of therapy the concentrations of the metabolite Ara-U in the CSF reached rather high levels of between 60 and 70 mumol/l from d 2-6 due to high levels of Ara-U in the plasma. The concentration of Ara-C in the CSF after the first infusion was 10.8 mumol/l. After repetitive doses on d 2-6 the drug concentrations increased from about 3 mumol/l just before infusion to about 8 mumol/l at the end of infusion, indicating inhibition of Ara-C influx into the CSF during prolonged treatment. We suggest that the high levels of Ara-U in the plasma interfere with Ara-C transport across the blood-brain barrier.