Journal article
Irinotecan in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer: Clinical Overview
Journal of clinical oncology, Vol.19(5), pp.1501-1518
03/01/2001
DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2001.19.5.1501
PMID: 11230497
Abstract
PURPOSE AND METHODS: For more than three decades, the therapeutic options for patients with advanced colorectal cancer have almost exclusively been based on fluoropyrimidines. With the recognition that topoisomerase-I (TOP-I) is an important therapeutic target in cancer therapy, irinotecan, a semisynthetic TOP-I–interactive camptothecin derivative, has been clinically established in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
RESULTS: Irinotecan was investigated as second-line chemotherapy after prior treatment with fluorouracil (FU)-based regimens in two large randomized phase III trials comparing irinotecan with either best supportive care or an infusional FU/leucovorin (LV) regimen. The outcomes of these trials established irinotecan as the standard therapy in the second-line treatment of colorectal cancer. The therapeutic value of irinotecan in the first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer was investigated in two large randomized phase III trials comparing the combination of irinotecan and FU/LV with FU/LV alone. Both trials demonstrated significant superior efficacy for the combination of irinotecan and FU/LV in terms of response rate, median time to disease progression, and median survival time. Consequently, the combination of irinotecan and FU/LV has been approved as first-line chemotherapy for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and constitutes the reference therapy against which other treatment options must be tested in the future.
CONCLUSION: In this review, the clinical rationale and update of the present clinical status of irinotecan in the treatment of colorectal cancer and future prospects of irinotecan-based combinations are discussed.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Irinotecan in the Treatment of Colorectal Cancer: Clinical Overview
- Creators
- Udo Vanhoefer - Department of Internal Medicine (Cancer Research), West German Cancer Center, University of Essen Medical School, Essen, Germany.Andreas HarstrickWolf AchterrathShousong CaoSiegfried SeeberYoucef M. Rustum
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of clinical oncology, Vol.19(5), pp.1501-1518
- DOI
- 10.1200/JCO.2001.19.5.1501
- PMID
- 11230497
- ISSN
- 0732-183X
- eISSN
- 1527-7755
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 03/01/2001
- Academic Unit
- Hematology, Oncology, and Blood & Marrow Transplantation; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984359839402771
Metrics
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