capecitabine + irinotecan

Capecitabine + irinotecan is a chemotherapy combination regimen used primarily for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Capecitabine is an oral prodrug that is converted to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in the body, which inhibits DNA synthesis by interfering with thymidylate synthase. Irinotecan is a topoisomerase I inhibitor; it is converted in vivo to its active metabolite SN-38, which stabilizes the topoisomerase I-DNA complex, preventing religation of single-strand breaks during DNA replication and transcription, ultimately leading to cell death. The combination exploits different mechanisms of action to enhance cytotoxicity against rapidly dividing tumor cells[1][2][3][4][6]. This regimen may be referred to as XELIRI or CAPIRI and has been studied extensively in advanced/metastatic colorectal cancer settings.

Brand names

Xeloda (capecitabine)Camptosar (irinotecan)

Other names

capecitabine + irinotecanCAPECITABINE and IRINOTECAN