Activity of weekly irinotecan (CPT-11) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer pretreated with platinum and taxanes.
Irinotecan (CPT-11), a semisynthetic derivative of camptothecin, is active in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this report we describe our experience with this drug when used as a single agent in patients with advanced NSCLC refractory to chemotherapy with platinum and taxanes. Nineteen NSCLC patients (thirteen males and six females; 53% adenocarcinoma and 26% squamous cell carcinoma) with a median age of 52 years (range 34-71) and a Karnofsky performance status of 60% (60-80%) were included in the study. At baseline, the patients had a median of two disease sites and had been treated with a median of two prior regimens. Irinotecan was given at a dose of 100 mg/m(2) i.v.) weekly for 4 weeks followed by 1 week of rest. A total of 123 weekly infusions were administered, and each patient received a median of 4 weeks of treatment (range 1-32). All patients were evaluated by intention-to-treat analysis for efficacy and safety. Main toxicities reported were grade 3 neutropenia (10% of patients), diarrhea (10% of patients), and grade 4 thrombocytopenia (5% of patients). The overall clinical response rate was 16% (95% CI: 8-24) with three partial responses and 9 (47%) patients with stable disease. The median time to progression and the median survival time were 7 and 15 weeks, respectively. In conclusion, weekly irinotecan showed antitumoral activity and minimum toxicity in NSCLC patients refractory to platinum and taxanes.
Sánchez
Rosa
R
Medical Oncology Department, Hospital Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
Esteban
Emilio
E
Palacio
Isabel
I
Fernández
Yolanda
Y
Muñiz
Isabel
I
Vieitez
Jose M
JM
Fra
Joaquin
J
Blay
Pilar
P
Villanueva
Noemí
N
Uña
Esther
E
Mareque
Beatriz
B
Estrada
Enrique
E
Buesa
Jose M
JM
Lacave
Angel J
AJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006402:Hematologic Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D017567:Karnofsky Performance Status / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010984:Platinum / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D043823:Taxoids / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D043823:Taxoids; D010984:Platinum; D000077146:Irinotecan; D002166:Camptothecin