Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0009402 (colorectal cancer)
 53,228 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Topoisomerase I represents a unique new target that can be exploited for development of new antineoplastic agents. There are now two new topoisomerase I inhibitors that are in early clinical trials that have generated a tremendous amount of interest. Topotecan (SKF 104864-A) is a topoisomerase I inhibitor that has been explored in phase I trials using a variety of dosages and schedules. The dose-limiting toxicity of the agent is neutropenia. Other toxicities include alopecia, very mild nausea and vomiting, anemia, and occasional fever. Responses have already been noted in patients with advanced, refractory ovarian cancer and non--small-cell lung cancer. The drug is currently undergoing intense phase II testing. Irinotecan (CPT-11) is also a topoisomerase I inhibitor, which has already undergone extensive phase I and early phase II clinical testing in both Japan and the United States. Dose-limiting toxicities of the agent have included neutropenia and diarrhea. Responses have been noted in patients with refractory colorectal cancer, non--small-cell lung cancer, lymphoma, ovarian cancer, head and neck cancer, pancreatic cancer, and breast cancer. There is no doubt both of these agents will be important additions to our chemotherapy armamentarium.
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PMID:Clinical trials with the topoisomerase I inhibitors. 133 79

CPT-11, a semisynthetic derivative of camptothecin, exhibited strong antitumor activity against lymphoma, lung cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, ovarian cancer, and cervical cancer. CPT-11 is a pro-drug that is converted to an active metabolite, SN-38, in vivo by enzymes such as carboxylesterase. We synthesized a water-soluble and non-pro-drug analog of camptothecin, DX-8951f. It showed both high in vitro potency against a series of 32 malignant cell lines and significant topoisomerase I inhibition. The anti-proliferative activity of DX-8951f, as indicated by the mean GI50 value, was about 6 and 28 times greater than that of SN-38 or SK&F 10486-A (Topotecan), respectively. These three derivatives of camptothecin showed similar patterns of differential response among 32 cell lines, that is, their spectra of in vitro cytotoxicity were almost the same. The antitumor activity of three doses of DX-8951f administered i.v. at 4-day intervals against human gastric adenocarcinoma SC-6 xenografts was greater than that of CPT-11 or SK&F 10486-A. Moreover, it overcame P-glycoprotein-mediated multi-drug resistance. These data suggest that DX-8951f has a high antitumor activity and is a potential therapeutic agent.
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PMID:A new water-soluble camptothecin derivative, DX-8951f, exhibits potent antitumor activity against human tumors in vitro and in vivo. 755 2

The topoisomerase I inhibitor topotecan is a potent water-soluble camptothecin derivative with activity in a wide variety of preclinical models. Topotecan exhibits schedule dependency in vivo, with the greatest activity being observed on repeated dose schedules. On the basis of the initial clinical studies that showed a short plasma half-life, we attempted to prolong drug exposure by giving topotecan as a 24-h infusion weekly. In a phase I trial, we treated 32 patients at doses ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 mg/m2. The patient population had not been heavily pretreated with chemotherapy and was of good performance status. The incidence of neutropenia, which was dose-limiting, increased sharply with relatively small increments in dose. Doses greater than 1.5 mg/m2 were associated with nadirs that developed after one to three weekly treatments. A patient with metastatic colorectal cancer had a prolonged partial response. The plasma pharmacokinetics of topotecan (lactone and open forms) was characterized in 21 patients. Mean plasma steady-state drug levels were proportional to the dose and were within the range required to exert cytotoxicity in preclinical models. Plasma elimination curves were fit to a one-compartment model, in which the harmonic mean half-life of topotecan was 3.5 h. The ratio of the lactone to the total drug concentrations was constant throughout, which suggests that for this schedule the total drug concentration may be used as a measure of active lactone exposure. This conclusion is supported by the pharmacodynamic analysis, which revealed a positive correlation of both lactone and total drug steady-state concentrations with bone marrow toxicity. The further investigation of this and other infusional schedules in phase II trials will be conducted. The steady-state concentrations of total drug will be measured in several of these trials to establish its potential role in adaptive dosing using this schedule. Such a strategy is justified by the interpatient variability in toxicity and the steep dose-response curve observed in this study. Preliminary evidence of interpatient variability in the mRNA expression of topoisomerase I in the peripheral mononuclear cells and colon mucosa is presented. Trials are under way using biological endpoints for further selection of patients in whom the use of topoisomerase inhibitors may be therapeutically beneficial.
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PMID:Clinical, pharmacokinetic and biological studies of topotecan. 807 27

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer-related death in both men and women. Surgery is the primary form of treatment, with greater than 90% of patients surviving 5 years or more. The remaining patients have metastatic disease, for which treatment options are limited. The fluoropyrimidine, 5-fluorouracil, elicits favorable tumor response rates in patients with metastatic disease, but has little impact on survival. Based on the observation that colorectal tumors have increased levels of topoisomerase I relative to normal tissue, investigations have focused on the camptothecin derivatives, particularly topotecan, as an effective treatment. Topotecan demonstrated antitumor activity in preclinical studies, causing significant growth delay of xenografts in thymectomized, irradiated mice. Clinical studies with topotecan have not yielded as promising results, with response rates of approximately 7% to 10%, but modifications in dosing schedule or combinations with other agents may enhance antitumor activity.
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PMID:Topotecan in advanced colorectal cancer. 942 60

The topoisomerase-1 inhibitor, topotecan, was tested in 48 eligible patients with advanced colorectal cancer. The patients had no prior chemotherapy and a Southwest Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Topotecan was administered intravenously at 1.5 mg/m2/day for five days and repeated every 21 days. The major toxicity was hematologic with 19 out of 48 (40%) patients having grade IV granulocytopenia and 4 out of 48 (8%) patients demonstrating grade IV thrombocytopenia. Two patients (4%) demonstrated partial response. Thirty patients have died and the Kaplan-Meier estimate of median survival is 9 months (95% confidence interval; 7-16 months). Topotecan in this dose and schedule does not appear active in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.
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PMID:Phase II evaluation of topotecan in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. A Southwest Oncology Group trial (SWOG 9241). 954 79

Topoisomerase I inhibitors are a new class of anticancer agents with a mechanism of action aimed at interrupting DNA replication in cancer cells, the result of which is cell death. Most if not all Topoisomerase I inhibitors are derivatives of the plant extract camptothecin. Irinotecan (CPT-11), a semi-synthetic derivative of camptothecin, is approved in the United States for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Ongoing clinical trials with CPT-11 show a 13% to 32% response rate when it is used singly or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents such as 5-fluorouracil. The major dose-limiting toxicities of CPT-11 are myelosuppression and a dual phase diarrhea. Topotecan is another semi-synthetic analogue of camptothecin. It is approved for use in the United States for the treatment of cisplatin refractory ovarian carcinoma. Current clinical trials suggest antitumor activity against a variety of human tumor types. There is significant interindividual variability in the plasma disposition of this drug. The main dose-limiting toxicity is myelosuppression. There are other derivatives of camptothecin, as well as new formulations of the parent plant extract, that are in various stages of clinical trials. Some of these clinical trials are aimed at increasing the therapeutic benefits of the agents when used singly or in combination with other chemotherapeutic agent(s) or treatment modalities. The dose-limiting toxicity observed in most of these clinical trials is myelosuppression.
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PMID:Topoisomerase I Inhibitors. 1038 70

The camptothecins are a maturing class of anticancer agents. In this article, we review the pharmacology and antitumor activity of the camptothecin analogues that are approved for clinical use and those investigational agents undergoing clinical evaluation. Camptothecin is a naturally occurring cytotoxic alkaloid that has a unique intracellular target, topoisomerase I, a nuclear enzyme that reduces the torsional stress of supercoiled DNA during the replication, recombination, transcription, and repair of DNA. Topotecan and irinotecan are synthetic analogues designed to facilitate parenteral administration of the active lactone form of the compound by introducing functional groups to enhance solubility. They are now well-established components in the chemotherapeutic management of several neoplasms. Topotecan has modest activity in patients treated previously with ovarian and small cell lung cancer and is currently approved for use in the United States as second-line therapy in these diseases. Preliminary evidence of activity against hematological malignancies is also promising. Irinotecan is a prodrug that undergoes enzymatic conversion to the biologically active metabolite 7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin. It is presently the treatment of choice when used in combination with fluoropyrimidines as first-line therapy for patients with advanced colorectal cancer or as a single agent after failure of 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy. Encouraging preliminary results suggest that irinotecan may have an increasing role in the treatment of other solid tumors, including small and non-small cell lung cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer, gastric cancer, and malignant gliomas. Several additional camptothecin analogues are in various stages of clinical development, including 9-aminocamptothecin, 9-nitrocamptothecin, 7-(4-methylpiperazinomethylene)-10,11-ethylenedioxy-20(S)-camptothecin, exatecan mesylate, and karenitecin. Efforts to further optimize therapeutic effectiveness through drug delivery strategies that prolong tumor exposure to these S phase-specific agents, such as improving oral bioavailability through structure modification and innovative formulation approaches, alternative parenteral dosage forms, and administration schedules, are being actively pursued. Combining camptothecins with other anticancer drugs and treatment modalities, as well as gaining a better understanding of the factors contributing to tumor sensitivity and resistance, continues to be the object of considerable interest.
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PMID:Current perspectives on the clinical experience, pharmacology, and continued development of the camptothecins. 1189 91

Topotecan and irinotecan (CPT-11) are both anticancer agents active in the inhibition of topoisomerase I, an enzyme involved in DNA replication and RNA transcription. During the last decades, an immense amount of research into this class of anticancer agents has been conducted, the positive results of which led to the clinical use of topotecan and CPT-11 in ovarian cancer and colorectal cancer, respectively. Here, we review the currently most important pharmacologic aspects of these drugs, including their mechanisms of action, metabolism, activity- and toxicity-profiles and mechanisms of resistance, to provide a global insight into their pharmacology. We also discuss the effects of combinations with other anticancer agents, which have been tested for synergistic antitumor effects. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic biomodulation, to enhance the bioavailability of the active anticancer agent or to reduce drug related toxicities have currently reached clinical application. As pharmacogenetics enters the clinical stage, this will lead to more "fine-tuning" in anticancer treatment (for instance by individualized dosing). The clarification of the mechanisms of action and resistance of topotecan and CPT-11 should enable us to understand their pharmacological behavior even better and might lead to the development of more potent camptothecin-derivatives in the future.
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PMID:Pharmacology of topoisomerase I inhibitors irinotecan (CPT-11) and topotecan. 1218 13

Topotecan is a topoisomerase-I inhibitor, a drug that stabilizes a covalent complex of enzymes and causes strand cleavage of DNA. 5-Fluorouracil (5FU) is an antimetabolite that interferes with DNA synthesis. Preclinical studies using human cancer cell line models have shown potential therapeutic synergy between these two drugs by showing the maximum cytolytic effect using sequential 5FU followed by topotecan. In the current study, 5FU was used at a fixed dose of 375 mg/m2 given intravenously for five consecutive days on a 28 day cycle. Topotecan was dose-escalated in cohorts of patients from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/m2 given intravenously for 5 days after the 5FU dose. Eleven patients were entered at different dose levels. Both hematological and gastrointestinal toxicity were dose limiting. Diarrhea was the dose-limiting toxicity at the dose of 0.75 mg/m2 of topotecan. Two cases of grade 4 neutropenia were also observed at this dose level. One patient with small cell lung cancer had a complete response, while one patient with metastatic colorectal cancer had a partial remission. Three other patients had stable disease, lasting between 6 and 8 months. Overall, the regimen was well tolerated. A phase II study using a dose of 5FU at 375 mg/m2 followed by topotecan at 0.75 mg/m2 intravenously over 5 days every 28 days is recommended.
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PMID:Phase I study of sequential administration of topotecan and 5-fluorouracil in patients with advanced malignancies. 1219 19

Topotecan (Hycamtin) is a water soluble semisynthetic analogue of the alkaloid camptothecin which has antitumour activity in preclinical models in vitro and in vivo. A range of Phase I studies has been performed and a daily x 5 iv. schedule, which showed most promising evidence of activity, was selected for extensive clinical evaluation. To date, topotecan has been shown to be active in a number of malignancies, including metastatic ovarian cancer, recurrent small cell lung cancer (SCLC), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), breast cancer, colorectal cancer and myelodysplastic syndrome. In ovarian cancer, response rates of around 15% were identified in patients who had failed standard chemotherapy, and in a randomised, comparative study with paclitaxel response rates of 20% (topotecan) and 13% (paclitaxel) were observed. In addition, overall time to progression was impressive at 23 weeks (topotecan) compared with 14 weeks (paclitaxel). In recurrent SCLC, topotecan has shown good activity in sensitive patients with a response rate of 39%, although the response rate in refractory patients was considerably lower (7%). Median survival of all patients was 5.4 months, acceptable for this difficult clinical scenario. Topotecan is well-tolerated in the majority of patients and subjective toxicities are uncommon. The principal side-effect is myelosuppression, mainly neutropenia. Serious clinical sequelae are relatively uncommon and non-cumulative. Nonhaematological toxicities are generally mild and not dose-limiting. In clinical use, topotecan has exhibited activity in multiple tumour types, with a side-effect profile that is predictable and manageable. The drug is under evaluation in other tumour types and in combination chemotherapy regimens.
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PMID:Topotecan, an active new antineoplastic agent: review and current status. 1598 23


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