Oxaliplatin with 5-FU or as a single agent in advanced/metastatic colorectal cancer

No adequate second- or third-line therapy is available in the United States for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and disease progression following treatment with fluorouracil (5-FU)-based therapy and an irinotecan (CPT-11, Camptosar)-containing regimen, or a combination of the two. Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin), a new platinum analog, has demonstrated high activity in the treatment of colorectal cancer, especially when combined with 5-FU and leucovorin. The combination of oxaliplatin and 5-FU/leucovorin has been approved in Europe for the first- and second-line treatment of colorectal cancer. This compassionate-use study was initiated because of the unavailability of the agent in the United States and inadequate US safety data. The following review summarizes data from this ongoing study, the primary focus of which is to provide oxaliplatin for compassionate use until it receives US Food and Drug Administration approval and becomes available commercially.