Irinotecan monotherapy as second-line treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The phase II study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of irinotecan as salvage single-agent chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
Patients with measurable metastatic pancreatic cancer, progressive after previous gemcitabine-based chemotherapy were treated with irinotecan 150 mg/m(2) every 2 weeks. Treatment was repeated until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.


RESULTS
Between March 2004 to February 2007, 33 patients were registered and treated with irinotecan monotherapy. The patients' median age was 59 years (range 36-70) and two had an ECOG performance status of 2. A total of 167 chemotherapy cycles were delivered (median, 4; range 2-12). In an intent-to-treat analysis, three (9%) confirmed partial response and 13 patients with stable disease were observed for a disease control rate of 48%. The median progression-free and overall survivals were 2.0 months (95% CI, 0.7-3.3) and 6.6 months (95% CI, 5.8-7.4), respectively. Toxic effects were mainly gastrointestinal (nausea in 64% of patients, diarrhea in 36%), Toxicity profiles were generally predictable and manageable, and there was no treatment-related death.


CONCLUSIONS
Second-line chemotherapy with single-agent irinotecan is marginally effective and well tolerated regimen for gemcitabine-pretreated patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.
Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 50 Ilwon-dong Kangnam-ku, Seoul, 135-710, South Korea.
Seong Yoon
SY
Yi
Young Suk
YS
Park
Hyo Song
HS
Kim
Hyun Jung
HJ
Jun
Kyoung Ha
KH
Kim
Myung Hee
MH
Chang
Min Jae
MJ
Park
Ji Eun
JE
Uhm
Jeeyun
J
Lee
Se Hoon
SH
Park
Joon Oh
JO
Park
Jong Kyun
JK
Lee
Kyu Taek
KT
Lee
Ho Yeong
HY
Lim
Won Ki
WK
Kang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D000077146:Irinotecan; D002166:Camptothecin