title: Phase II trial of oral etoposide in recurrent or refractory endometrial adenocarcinoma: a southwest oncology group study.
abstract: Oral etoposide has activity in a wide variety of tumors and is well tolerated. Therefore, the efficacy of oral etoposide was assessed as a treatment of metastatic endometrial cancer. To be eligible for this group-wide Southwest Oncology Group trial, patients had to have histologically proven metastatic or recurrent endometrial carcinoma; no previous cytotoxic therapy; and adequate renal, hepatic, and hematologic function, and they had to have given informed consent. Therapy consisted of oral etoposide, 50 mg daily on days 1-21 on a 28-day schedule. Therapy was continued in the absence of toxicity or disease progression. Forty-four eligible women, with a median age of 68 years (range 38-84 years) were treated. Radiotherapy had been delivered to 33 and hormomal therapy to 21. The median duration of therapy was 69 days (range 7-510 days). The treatment was well tolerated. Only one patient had grade 4 neutropenia, and a second had grade 4 anemia. Three patients had grade 3 nausea. One complete and five partial responses (14%) were observed. An additional four patients had unconfirmed responses. Tumor regressions were noted in nodes, bone, and visceral organs. While oral etoposide has only a modest level of activity when used in chemonaive patients, the minimal toxicity of this drug makes it a candidate for use in combination chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Center of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901, USA.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Poplin
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Delmore
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilczynski
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Potkul
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Fine
authors.forename: E V
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Hannigan
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Alberts
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005047:Etoposide / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D005047:Etoposide