Different schedules of irinotecan administration: A meta-analysis.

The concept of the UDP glucuronosyltransferase family 1 member A1 genotype-directed schedule of irinotecan administration is still far from being introduced into clinical practice, and the efficacy and toxicity of irinotecan are in part schedule-dependent. The objective of the present meta-analysis was to determine the efficacy and adverse effects of 3-weekly vs. weekly irinotecan for the treatment of solid tumors. The PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases and the search engines Google Scholar and Medical Martix were searched for randomized controlled trials to compare the two regimens of irinotecan administration. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that the 3-weekly regimen yielded a longer time to progression, while other measures of efficacy, such as the objective response rate and overall survival of patients with solid tumors were similar between the two regimens of irinotecan administration. Furthermore, the group receiving the 3-weekly regimen had a lower incidence of grade 3/4 diarrhea and a higher rate of grade 3/4 neutropenia compared with the group receiving the weekly regimen. However, these results require confirmation by large-sample, multicenter, randomized, controlled trials.