title: Successful salvage treatment with irinotecan (CPT-11) of recurrent malignant lymphoma in an aged patient; and CPT-11 pharmacokinetics.
abstract: A 72-year-old patient with relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (diffuse large B-cell type) in the tongue was treated with irinotecan (CPT-11) as the 4th salvage therapy. A two-thirds reduced dose of 40 mg/m2 of CPT-11 was administered, as were granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and antidiarrheal agents. Complete remission was achieved. Although grade 3 leukopenia and grade 1 diarrhea were observed, these adverse reactions did not interrupt the treatment schedule and CPT-11 was administered without interruption for a total of 12 weeks. Despite the dose reduction, the area under the concentration-time curve of SN-38, the active metabolite of CPT-11, was nearly equal to the values reported in phase I and II studies of CPT-11. The patient's ratio of SN-38 to the SN-38 glucuronide (SN-38G) was low, suggesting a low risk of diarrhea. The optimal dose modification provided a sufficient amount of the active metabolite. Supportive therapy managed therapy-related toxicities and resulted in a stable treatment schedule. This is a rare case of a patient successfully treated with CPT-11 after a 4th relapse, in which the agent was administered at the total dose of 960 mg/m2, despite the patient's advanced age.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Fukui Medical University, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamauchi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amaya
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshio
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsutani
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueda
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D012008:Recurrence; D016879:Salvage Therapy
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D000077146:Irinotecan; D002166:Camptothecin