TY - JOUR T1 - Ganciclovir concentrations in the cerebral extracellular space after valganciclovir treatment; a case study JF - BMJ Case Reports DO - 10.1136/bcr-2014-207694 VL - 2015 SP - bcr2014207694 AU - Inti Peredo AU - Anders Helldén AU - Nina Wolmer-Solberg AU - Anton Pohanka AU - Giuseppe Stragliotto AU - Afsar Rahbar AU - Lars Ståhle AU - Bo-Michael Bellander AU - Cecilia Söderberg-Nauclér Y1 - 2015/12/15 UR - http://casereports.bmj.com/content/2015/bcr-2014-207694.abstract N2 - Nearly all glioblastomas (GBMs), brain tumours with very poor prognosis, are infected with human cytomegalovirus (CMV). The anti-CMV drug valganciclovir (VGCV) has shown promise as a treatment option for patients with GBM, but its penetration into the central nervous system (CNS) is unknown. Here we describe a patient with GMB receiving VGCV in whom an intracerebral microdialysis catheter was implanted and ganciclovir (GCV) concentrations in brain extracellular fluid (BECF) and serum were monitored. GCV was rapidly absorbed. Cmax values (at 3 h) in serum and BECF were 19.6 and 10.2 µmol/L, T½ values were 3.2 and 4.5 h, and plasma and BECF AUC0−∞ values were 90.7 and 75.9 µmol h/L, respectively. Thus, VGCV treatment results in significant intracerebral levels of GCV that may be sufficient for therapeutic effects. Further studies of this drug in patients with GBM are warranted. ER -