Oxaliplatin: a new drug for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum.

Oxaliplatin is a useful agent in combination with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin for the treatment of patients with metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum whose disease has recurred or progressed during or within 6 months of completion of first-line therapy (a combination of bolus 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin and irinotecan). Oxaliplatin works by disrupting DNA replication and transcription and is cell-cycle nonspecific. In vitro, oxaliplatin has shown activity against numerous tumor lines, but it has only been approved for the treatment of metastatic carcinoma of the colon or rectum.