Combination chemotherapy consisting of irinotecan, etoposide, and
carboplatin (IREC) for refractory or relapsed neuroblastoma
Abstract
Background: Patients with relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma have a
poor prognosis; there are limited effective and safe rescue
chemotherapies for these patients. Development of new chemotherapy
regimens for these patients is a key imperative. Procedure: We
retrospectively analyzed patients with refractory or relapsed
neuroblastoma who received irinotecan, etoposide, and carboplatin (IREC)
as a second-line treatment for neuroblastoma. We evaluated the
therapeutic response, toxicity, and survival outcomes. We also assessed
the impact of UGT1A1 gene polymorphisms, which are involved in
irinotecan metabolism, on the outcomes and toxicity. Results: A total of
131 cycles of IREC were administered to 43 patients with a median of two
cycles per patient (range, 1–10). All patients were classified as
high-risk (International Neuroblastoma Risk Group). Seven patients had
relapsed before IREC. One patient (2%) showed partial response and 37
patients (86%) developed stable disease (disease control rate: 88%).
Grade IV neutropenia was observed in 127 cycles (97%), while ≥ grade
III gastrointestinal toxicity was observed in 3 cycles (2%). There was
no IREC-related mortality. The one-year overall survival and
progression-free survival rates were 65% and 52%, respectively.
Patients with UGT1A1 polymorphisms showed a higher frequency of grade IV
neutropenia; however, there was no increase in treatment-related
mortality or nonhematological toxicity in these patients. Patients with
UGT1A1 gene polymorphisms showed better one-year survival rate than the
wild type (80% vs. 44%, p = 0.012). Conclusions: This study suggests
that IREC is well-tolerated by patients with UGT1A1 polymorphisms and is
a promising second-line chemotherapy for refractory/relapsed
neuroblastoma.