ONCOLOGY Vol 12 No 8

Irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) has a broad range of antitumor activity. Extensive preclinical and early clinical work has demonstrated its activity against many tumor types--head and neck, esophagus, stomach, pancreas,

Most of the clinical experience with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) has been with either a weekly or an every-3-week schedule. Recent phase I trials have explored new routes and schedules of administration. One approach

The objective response rate is the initial method to assess the activity of a novel anticancer agent. Response rates may not characterize a new agent’s clinical benefit, however, especially if moderate to severe toxicity may be

In all patients with advanced colorectal cancer, disease eventually progresses following fluorouracil (5-FU) therapy, with a worsening of disease-related symptoms and quality of life (QOL). Irinotecan (CPT-11[Camptosar])

Current controversies in the treatment of stage I seminoma center on the relative roles of surveillance, adjuvant radiotherapy (RT), and adjuvant single-agent chemotherapy. Surveillance has been studied in over 800 patients,

It has been hypothesized that intratumoral thymidylate synthase (TS) gene expression might be used to select therapy for patients with disseminated colorectal cancer. We recently

Based on high tumoricidal activity of the camptothecin analogs topotecan (Hycamtin), irinotecan (CPT-11[Camptosar]), and 9-aminocamptothecin (9-AC) in preclinical studies, clinical trials began testing these agents

Predisposition testing (ie, genetic testing that provides information about a person’s susceptibility to disease) is now available for several inherited forms of cancer. Individuals who are found to have an altered gene (eg, a

During the past decade, advances have been made in the adjuvant treatment of resectable rectal cancer. Postoperative combined-modality therapy significantly improves local control and survival. Recent Intergroup

Irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) is an important new chemotherapeutic drug that demonstrates activity against a broad spectrum of malignancies, including carcinomas of the colon, stomach, and lung. Unfortunately, frequent and

Several studies have evaluated the use of irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]), a topoisomerase inhibitor, in the treatment of refractory or recurrent cervical cancer. Various schedules have been used. Response rates have

The unique mechanism of action of irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]), topoisomerase I inhibition, together with the results of preclinical studies, suggest that the drug’s antitumor and toxicologic effects may be schedule-dependent.

Irinotecan (Camptosar), an active agent in the treatment of fluorouracil-refractory colorectal cancer, has antitumor activity in upper gastrointestinal cancers. Clinical trials from Japan indicate antitumor responses in gastric and

Tumors of the head and neck account for 4% of cancers in the United States. Both the disease process itself and side effects of cancer treatment, such as xerostomia, dysphagia, and malnutrition, compromise oral health,

During the 1980s, platinum-based regimens were yielding response rates typically less than 25%, median survival durations of about 25 weeks, and 1-year survival rates less than 25% in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung

Clinical results with irinotecan (CPT-11 [Camptosar]) and other camptothecin derivatives in various cancers, although encouraging, have fallen short of the expectations predicted by preclinical models. One proposed

An ideal diagnostic test for cancer would be noninvasive and provide accurate results with sufficient specificity and sensitivity. Currently, no test for cancer meets all of these criteria. However, results of a study presented at the annual meeting of the

University of California, San Francisco, researchers have received approval from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to develop a less toxic breast cancer therapy that may also prove to be more efficient at directly targeting cancer cells.

Predisposition testing (ie, genetic testing that provides information about a person’s susceptibility to disease) is now available for several inherited forms of cancer. Individuals who are found to have an altered gene (eg, a

Radiosurgery uses stereotactic targeting methods to precisely deliver highly focused, large doses of radiation to small intracranial tumors and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). This article reviews the most common