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Irinotecan monotherapy as second-line treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer

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Abstract

Purpose

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/m2 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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 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 Yi, Young Suk Park, Hyo Song Kim, Hyun Jung Jun, Kyoung Ha Kim, Myung Hee Chang, Min Jae Park, Ji Eun Uhm, Jeeyun Lee, Se Hoon Park, Joon Oh Park, Ho Yeong Lim & Won Ki Kang

  2. Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea

    Jong Kyun Lee & Kyu Taek Lee

Authors
  1. Seong Yoon Yi
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  2. Young Suk Park
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  3. Hyo Song Kim
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  4. Hyun Jung Jun
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  5. Kyoung Ha Kim
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  7. Min Jae Park
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  13. Kyu Taek Lee
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  14. Ho Yeong Lim
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  15. Won Ki Kang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Young Suk Park.

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Yi, S.Y., Park, Y.S., Kim, H.S. et al. Irinotecan monotherapy as second-line treatment in advanced pancreatic cancer. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 63, 1141–1145 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-008-0839-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00280-008-0839-y

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