Comparison of the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of irinotecan after administration by the intravenous versus intraperitoneal route in mice

Irinotecan (CPT-11) is a new drug active in colorectal cancer. A comparison was made of the efficacy and pharmacokinetics of CPT-11 after i.p. versus i.v. administration to mice. We found that i.p. administration of CPT-11 to mice bearing C26 colon cancer was more efficient and less toxic than i.v. administration; a 100-mg i.p. dose induced an increase in life span equivalent to that produced by a 300-mg i.v. dose, and toxic deaths appeared after doses of 400 mg/kg given i.v. and 800 mg/kg given i.p. Pharmacokinetic parameters of CPT-11 and SN-38 were compared after i.v. or i.p. administration in mice bearing P388 leukemia ascites. Peritoneal CPT-11 and SN-38 AUC values were higher after i.p. administration than after i.v. injection. Plasmatic AUC values remained equivalent. Moreover, peritoneal CPT-11 clearance was 10-fold lower after i.p. versus i.v. administration. If the survival and pharmacologic advantage of i.p. CPT-11 in the murine model considered can be translated to a safe and practical mode of therapy in patients and if local toxicity does not prove to be a major adverse effect, then a potentially useful agent could be added to the drugs known to be active when given by the i.p. route for adjuvant therapy in colon cancer. Received: 21 October 1997 / Accepted: 12 December 1997