vorinostat + carboplatin + etoposide

Vorinostat (Zolinza) is a small molecule histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that targets Class I and II HDACs. In the context of the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center clinical trial, it is administered in combination with standard chemotherapy (carboplatin and etoposide) for patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Vorinostat works by inhibiting HDAC enzymes, which leads to the accumulation of acetylated histones and non-histone proteins, ultimately inducing cell cycle arrest, differentiation, and apoptosis. Preclinical studies demonstrated that vorinostat enhances the cytotoxic effects of etoposide and platinum-based drugs like carboplatin, providing a synergistic rationale for this triplet combination in chemotherapy-naive SCLC patients.

Brand names

ZolinzaParaplatinEtopophos

Other names

suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid