PURPOSE: This study was conducted to retrospectively compare the efficacy and safety of irinotecan (CPT-11) and pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) in patients with platinum-resistant or -refractory recurrent epithelial ovarian and primary peritoneal carcinoma. METHODS: Nineteen patients who received CPT-11 and eleven patients who received PLD were enrolled. CPT-11 was intravenously administered at a starting dose of 60-100 mg/m(2) on day 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days, and PLD was administered at a starting dose of 40-50 mg/m(2) on day 1 every 28 days. Primary outcomes were overall response rate (complete response [CR] + partial response [PR]), disease control rate (CR + PR + stable disease), and progression-free survival (PFS) in each group. Clinical response was evaluated every two or three cycles using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria; CA125 analysis was not performed. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 21.1 % (PR, four cases) and 0 % (p = 0.10) in the CPT-11 and PLD groups, respectively, and the disease control rate was 73.7 and 45.5 % (p = 0.12), respectively. Median PFS was 25.3 (range 5.4-69.9) weeks and 12.7 (range 4.0-43.1) weeks in the CPT-11 and PLD groups, respectively; however, this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.064). Major adverse events in the CPT-11 group were neutropenia, nausea, and diarrhea, whereas those in the PLD group included thrombocytopenia, anemia, stomatitis, and hand-foot syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective study demonstrated comparable efficacy outcomes for CPT-11 and PLD. The overall response rate, disease control rate, and median PFS were more favorable in the CPT-11 group compared to the PLD group, although the difference was not significant. The adverse event profiles were different between groups. These results suggest that CPT-11 might be a feasible choice as single-agent salvage chemotherapy for platinum-resistant or -refractory recurrent epithelial ovarian and primary peritoneal carcinoma beside established regimen like PLD.