title: Pemetrexed in bladder, head and neck, and cervical cancers.
abstract: Pemetrexed is a novel multitargeted antifolate analog. The drug has shown encouraging activity in a wide range of solid tumors, including cervix, head and neck, and bladder carcinomas, which are the focus of this review. Toxicity, particularly hematologic, is higher in patients with these tumor types than in other populations exposed to pemetrexed. Supplementation with folic acid and vitamin B(12) appears to effectively reduce the incidence of severe toxicity and may optimize the therapeutic index of pemetrexed in patient subsets with poor nutritional status. The role of this agent in the management of these and other tumor types, as a single agent or in combination, shall be determined by randomized phase III studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Doce de Octubre University Hospital, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paz-Ares
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ciruelos
authors.forename: Rocío
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: García-Carbonero
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Castellano
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lopez-Martín
authors.forename: Hernán
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cortés-Funes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005260:Female; D005493:Folic Acid Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005971:Glutamates / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006147:Guanine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000068437:Pemetrexed; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D005493:Folic Acid Antagonists; D005971:Glutamates; D000068437:Pemetrexed; D006147:Guanine; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase