PURPOSE The number of patients who make it to receive third-line chemotherapy is increasing owing to the improvements in adverse-event management of chemotherapy for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Sequencing of optimal treatment for SCLC is still a challenge for oncologists. In this paper, we aim to present a different approach to the treatment of SCLC. METHODS Between January 2008 and July 2...

PURPOSE Irinotecan is an important drug for the treatment of solid tumors. Although genes involved in irinotecan pharmacokinetics have been shown to influence toxicity, there are no data on pharmacodynamic genes. CDC45L, NFKB1, PARP1, TDP1, and XRCC1 have been shown to influence the cytotoxic action of camptothecins, including irinotecan. Polymorphisms in the drug target of camptothecins, topoi...

OBJECTIVES To conduct a phase I/II study of irinotecan with cisplatin to establish a recommended dose, and assess the safety, efficacy and feasibility of this regimen in unresectable advanced or recurrent gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS In the phase I portion of the study, patients received a fixed dose of cisplatin (30 mg/m2) with escalating doses of irinotecan, ranging from 30 mg/m2 to...

Most of the clinical experience with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) has been with either a weekly or an every-3-week schedule. Recent phase I trials have explored new routes and schedules of administration. One approach attempts to maximize dose frequency and intensity by giving irinotecan every 2 weeks. A phase I trial of this approach is now complete and has led to a phase II trial in patien...

In the present study, the question was addressed whether anthocyanins interfere with the topoisomerase I poison irinotecan in vivo. In vivo complexes of enzyme to DNA bioassay was used to detect irinotecan-induced stabilization of topoisomerase I/DNA complexes and single cell gel electrophoresis to determine DNA-strand-break induction in the colon of male Wistar rats. Furthermore, analysis of a...

We read with interest the paper from Hoskins et al. (1) on the meta-analysis of the studies that assessed the association of irinotecan dose with the risk of irinotecan-related toxic effects for patients with the UGT1A1*28/*28 genotype. They indicated that the risk of hematologic toxicity was strongly associated with UGT1A1*28 genotype at higher irinotecan doses (>150 mg/m 2), not at lower dose...

A combination Phase I study of gemcitabine and irinotecan in patients with previously untreated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer was conducted. Patients received gemcitabine and irinotecan on Days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks. A total of 11 patients were enrolled. Three of six patients who received the starting dose (gemcitabine, 800 mg/m(2); irinotecan, 80 mg/m(2)) experienced dose-limiting toxici...

Mutations in the UGT1A1 gene have been implicated in Gilbert syndrome, which shows mild hyperbilirubinemia, and a more aggressive childhood subtype, Crigler-Najjar syndrome. To date, more than 100 variants have been found in the UGT1A1 gene. Among them, UGT1A1*28 and UGT1A1*6 have been reported to be associated with severe toxicities in patients treated with irinotecan-based chemotherapy by inc...

Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) has various causes including central nervous system disorders, pulmonary and endocrine diseases, paraneoplastic syndromes, and use of certain drugs. SIADH induced by chemotherapy with irinotecan-cisplatin is not a common complication. Here, we review a case of SIADH after treatment with irinotecan-cisplatin. A 45-year-old woman re...

We report two cases of liver metastases from colorectal and anal cancers after the failure systemic chemotherapies that were successfully treated with a combination therapy transarterial chemoembolization using irinotecan-loaded drug-eluting beads hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy. In both cases, chemotherapy was performed as maintenance beads. Irinotecan at dose 120 mg loaded on drug deli...