Bulletin du cancer
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Irinotecan or CPT11 is a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor. The European and American regimens of irinotecan in monotherapy are different: respectively 350 mg/m2 i.v. every 3 weeks and 125 mg/m2 i.v. weekly (4 weeks out of 6). In a large phase 2 programme an important activity has been shown in metastatic colorectal cancer. ⋯ This interesting activity was the basis for the phase 3 studies that have positioned irinotecan as the standard treatment in 5FU resistant colorectal cancer. The response rate in first line treatment of colorectal cancer varies between 18% and 32%. The main side effects are neutropenia and delayed diarrhea.
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Irinotecan is a new topoisomerase I inhibitor. It has demonstrated antitumor activity in solid tumors, independently of the histologic type, and in squamous cervical carcinoma. Its original mechanism of action offers the possibility to combine it with other drugs. ⋯ The limiting toxicity of combination schedules in neutropenia. The best results were obtained with the association cisplatin-irinotecan in lung cancer. For the combination etoposide-irinotecan the best schedule of administration remains to be determined.