Design and Methods of the Pan-Canadian Applying Biomarkers to Minimize Long-Term Effects of Childhood/Adolescent Cancer Treatment (ABLE) Nephrotoxicity Study

Background: Childhood cancer survivors experience adverse drug events leading to lifelong health issues. The Applying Biomarkers to Minimize Long-Term Effects of Childhood/Adolescent Cancer Treatment (ABLE) team was established to validate and apply biomarkers of cancer treatment effects, with a goal of identifying children at high risk of developing cancer treatment complications associated with thrombosis, graft-versus-host disease, hearing loss, and kidney damage. Cisplatin is a chemotherapy well known to cause acute and chronic nephrotoxicity. Data on biomarkers of acute kidney injury (AKI) and late renal outcomes in children treated with cisplatin are limited. Objective: To describe the design and methods of the pan-Canadian ABLE Nephrotoxicity study, which aims to evaluate urine biomarkers (neutrophil gelatinase–associated lipocalin [NGAL] and kidney injury molecule-1 [KIM-1]) for AKI diagnosis, and determine whether they predict risk of long-term renal outcomes (chronic kidney disease [CKD], hypertension). Design: This is a 3-year observational prospective cohort study. Setting: The study includes 12 Canadian pediatric oncology centers. Patients: The target recruitment goal is 150 patients aged less than 18 years receiving cisplatin. Exclusion criteria : Patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR)