The quality and efficiency of trials to assess the pharmacokinetics of new drugs in oncology can be improved by making better use of available resources.

One approach to do this is by making more effective use of isotopic tracer techniques in combination with high-sensitivity liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analyzing equipment.

In this article, we advocate that absolute bioavailability trials and mass balance trials could and should more often be combined into a single pharmacokinetic trial using a combined radiolabeled and stable isotopically labeled drug approach.