irinotecan + pemetrexed

Irinotecan + pemetrexed is a combination of two chemotherapeutic agents used primarily in the treatment of advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer and has also been studied in pancreatic and other solid tumors. Irinotecan is a topoisomerase I inhibitor that prevents DNA replication by stabilizing the cleavable complex between topoisomerase I and DNA, leading to double-strand breaks and cell death. Pemetrexed is an antifolate antimetabolite that inhibits several folate-dependent enzymes involved in purine and pyrimidine synthesis (including thymidylate synthase), thereby disrupting DNA and RNA synthesis. The combination leverages their distinct mechanisms for potential synergistic cytotoxicity against tumor cells[2][3][6].

Other names

CPT-11 + PMXirinotecan hydrochloride + pemetrexed disodium