title: Single-agent irinotecan for recurrent/metastatic colorectal cancer: a retrospective analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy, toxicity and factors affecting the survival rate of patients treated with irinotecan.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the medical records of 74 patients who had recurrent/metastatic colorectal cancer treated with single-agent irinotecan were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age for all the patients was 56 years (range 19-77). Forty-one (55%) and 33 (45%) patients had recurrent and/or metastatic colon cancer, respectively. All the patients were treated with irinotecan 350 mg/m(2) every 21 days. Grade 3-4 emesis, grade 3-4 diarrhea, grade 3-4 neutropenia and severe early cholinergic events developed in 7, 15, 7 and 1.3% of patients, respectively. One patient died due to acute renal failure. The overall response rate was 14% (complete response 5%, partial response 9%); 61% had stable response while another 25% had progressive disease. Patients with multiple metastatic foci, patients < or =50 years of age and patients with peritonitis carcinomatosa were shown to have worse outcomes than others. The median duration of response was 16.7 months. The median progression-free survival and overall survival were 4 and 14 months, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data show that irinotecan was useful in the treatment of recurrent/metastatic colorectal cancer with acceptable toxicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Ege University School of Medicine, Bornova/Izmir, Turkey. ulusali@med.ege.edu.tr
authors.forename: Ulus A
authors.initials: UA
authors.lastname: Sanli
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Karabulut
authors.forename: Ruchan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Uslu
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korkut
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Goker
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D000077146:Irinotecan; D002166:Camptothecin