Related pages Drug Information Summaries 1 Approval Process for New Cancer Treatments 2 Access to Investigational Drugs: Q & A 3

This page contains brief information about etoposide and a collection of links to more information from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

US Brand Name(s):		Toposar
		VePesid
FDA Approved:		Yes

Etoposide is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to be used with other drugs to treat the following types of cancer:

• Small cell lung cancer.
• Testicular cancer in patients who have already been treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or other chemotherapy and have not gotten better.

In addition to the uses that have been approved by the FDA, etoposide is also used alone or with other drugs to treat other types of cancer. Etoposide continues to be studied in the treatment of many types of cancer.

Definition from the NCI Drug Dictionary ⁴ - Detailed scientific definition and other names for this drug.

Clinical Trial Results: Less-Intense Chemotherapy Effective in Children with Intermediate-Risk Neuroblastoma (06/13/2007) ⁵ - Important clinical trial results for this drug, background information, and how the trial was done.

Clinical Trial Results: Less-Intense Chemotherapy Benefits Some Children With B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (04/25/2007) ⁶ - Important clinical trial results for this drug, background information, and how the trial was done.

Clinical Trial Results: Study Fails to Confirm That Irinotecan is Superior to Etoposide in Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer (05/14/2005) ⁷ - Important clinical trial results for this drug, background information, and how the trial was done.

Clinical Trial Results: Improved Survival for Those With Ewing Sarcoma (02/27/2003) ⁸ - Important clinical trial results for this drug, background information, and how the trial was done.

Clinical Trial Results: Three-Pronged Approach an Added Treatment Option for Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (06/02/2003) ⁹ - Important clinical trial results for this drug, background information, and how the trial was done.

Clinical Trial Results: Chemotherapy and Twice-Daily Radiation Improves Small Cell Lung Cancer Survival (11/10/1999) ¹⁰ - Important clinical trial results for this drug, background information, and how the trial was done.

MedlinePlus Information on Etoposide ¹¹ - A lay language summary of important information about this drug that may include the following:

• warnings about this drug,
• what this drug is used for and how it is used,
• what you should tell your doctor before using this drug,
• what you should know about this drug before using it,
• other drugs that may interact with this drug, and
• possible side effects.

Drugs are often studied to find out if they can help treat or prevent conditions other than the ones they are approved for. This NLM patient information sheet applies only to approved uses of the drug. However, much of the information may also apply to unapproved uses that are being studied.

Clinical Trials for Etoposide ¹² - Check for trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry now accepting patients.

Glossary Terms

A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of cancer. Carcinoma is cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. Sarcoma is cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Leukemia is cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. Central nervous system cancers are cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord.

Treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells.

Any substance, other than food, that is used to prevent, diagnose, treat or relieve symptoms of a disease or abnormal condition. Also refers to a substance that alters mood or body function, or that can be habit-forming or addictive, especially a narcotic.

FDA. An agency in the U.S. federal government whose mission is to protect public health by making sure that food, cosmetics, and nutritional supplements are safe to use and truthfully labeled. The Food and Drug Administration also makes sure that drugs, medical devices, and equipment are safe and effective, and that blood for transfusions and transplant tissue are safe. Also called FDA.

The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, protons, and other sources to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation may come from a machine outside the body (external-beam radiation therapy), or it may come from radioactive material placed in the body near cancer cells (internal radiation therapy). Systemic radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance, such as a radiolabeled monoclonal antibody, that travels in the blood to tissues throughout the body. Also called radiotherapy and irradiation.

An aggressive (fast-growing) cancer that forms in tissues of the lung and can spread to other parts of the body. The cancer cells look small and oval-shaped when looked at under a microscope.

A procedure to remove or repair a part of the body or to find out whether disease is present. An operation.

Cancer that forms in tissues of the testis (one of two egg-shaped glands inside the scrotum that make sperm and male hormones). Testicular cancer usually occurs in young or middle-aged men. Two main types of testicular cancer are seminomas (cancers that grow slowly and are sensitive to radiation therapy) and nonseminomas (different cell types that grow more quickly than seminomas).