[Etoposide: specificity of prolonged oral administration]

Etoposide is a major antineoplastic agent which was introduced in the clinic in the 1970s. Its clinical pharmacology was rediscovered at the end of the 1980s because optimal activity was demonstrated to be schedule dependent. The galenic adaptation of an oral form of the molecule led to more extensive studies investigating both the potential advantage of prolonged exposure to the drug and a better bioavailability at low doses. We reviewed current knowledge on clinical applications of continuous oral étoposide in various diseases and discussed the benefit of this mode of therapy over classical intravenous administration in terms of activity, cost and quality of life.