Sign in →

Test Code MITAN Mitotane, Plasma


Shipping Instructions


Ship specimen refrigerated.



Specimen Required


Collection Container/Tube: Green top (sodium heparin) (Lithium heparin and PST/plasma gel tubes are not acceptable.)

Submission Container/Tube: Plastic vial

Specimen Volume: 1 mL

Collection Instructions: Within 2 hours of collection, centrifuge and aliquot plasma into plastic vial.


Useful For

Assessing compliance or making dosage adjustments for mitotane

Method Name

Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) Confirmation with Quantitation

Reporting Name

Mitotane, P

Specimen Type

Plasma Na Heparin

Specimen Minimum Volume

0.5 mL

Specimen Stability Information

Specimen Type Temperature Time
Plasma Na Heparin Refrigerated (preferred) 21 days
  Frozen  28 days
  Ambient  72 hours

Reject Due To

Gross hemolysis OK
Gross lipemia Reject
Gross icterus OK

Clinical Information

This test is intended for the use of therapeutic monitoring of the drug mitotane in patients being treated for adrenal carcinoma. Guidelines suggest monitoring mitotane serum/plasma levels every 2 to 3 weeks for the first 3 months. After reaching a plateau, the interval can be extended (eg, every 6 weeks). Mitotane is a key drug for the treatment of adrenal cortical carcinoma. Due to its narrow therapeutic window (14 to 20 mcg/mL), monitoring its concentration is crucially important.

Reference Values

Therapeutic: 14-20 mcg/mL

Day(s) Performed

Tuesday, Thursday

Report Available

2 to 7 days

Performing Laboratory

Mayo Clinic Laboratories in Rochester

Test Classification

This test was developed and its performance characteristics determined by Mayo Clinic in a manner consistent with CLIA requirements. It has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

CPT Code Information

80299