Epirubicin in advanced gastrointestinal (GI) cancer

A review of the activity of epirubicin in advanced gastrointestinal tumors is presented. In gastric cancer epirubicin has comparable activity to its parent compound doxorubicin with less toxicity. Epirubicin seems particularly active in pancreatic cancer as shown by the results of two EORTC Gastrointestinal Group studies. In advanced colorectal cancer results of different studies are conflicting and the drug may have limited activity in rectosigmoid cancer.