The determination of platinum in tissue of different human organs by means of neutron activation analysis

The aim of this study was to determine quantitatively the content of platinum of tissue samples from the autopsy of patients treated with cisplatin. Furthermore it was important to determine the relationship between dosage, time and platinum concentrations in the tissues analyzed. It was demonstrated that radiochemical neutron activation analysis can be used for these studies because of its sensitivity and precision and a low detection limit for platinum (similar to1 ng). Tissues of the following organs were analyzed for platinum: liver, kidney, testis, lung, pancreas and muscle. This study was performed at Riso National Laboratory, Isotope Division in cooperation with the University Hospital, Copenhagen.