FOLFIRI-3

FOLFIRI-3 is a chemotherapy regimen used primarily in the treatment of advanced or metastatic cancers, particularly colorectal and pancreatic cancer. It is a modified version of the standard FOLFIRI regimen, consisting of irinotecan (a topoisomerase I inhibitor), folinic acid (leucovorin, which enhances the efficacy of fluorouracil), and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU, an antimetabolite that inhibits DNA synthesis). The distinctive feature of FOLFIRI-3 is its "double infusion" schedule for irinotecan—administered both at the start and end of each cycle—alongside continuous infusion of 5-FU. This modification aims to improve response rates in patients previously treated with other regimens such as FOLFOX. The mechanism involves inhibition of DNA replication and repair in rapidly dividing tumor cells by targeting topoisomerase I (irinotecan) and interfering with nucleotide synthesis (fluorouracil). Clinical studies have shown promising activity for this regimen in metastatic colorectal cancer after prior oxaliplatin-based therapy, as well as manageable toxicity profiles[2][6].