Is Irinotecan safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what NIH LactMed, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's authority on medicines and breastfeeding, reports about Irinotecan. This is a summary of that source — not our own verdict.
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Irinotecan is metabolized to the active metabolite, 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38), which is further conjugated with glucuronic acid. Maternal Levels. A woman with cervical cancer discovered during pregnancy was treated with irinotecan 60 mg/square meter plus nedaplatin 80 mg/square meter. She had been nursing her infant prior to chemotherapy and collected morning breastmilk samples on days 2 to 7 following the first dose of irinotecan. Irinotecan was detectable in breastmilk on days 2 and 3 after the dose in concentrations of 399 and 60.21 mcg/L, respectively. Irinotecan was undetectable ( 0.1 mcg/L) on day 4 and after. SN-38 was also measured, but not its glucuronide. SN-38 was highest in breastmilk on day 2, with a concentration of 3.9 mcg/L. Levels fell, but were still measurable on days 6 and 7, with concentrations of 0.16 and 0.2 mcg/L, respectively.[ 1 ] Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Irinotecan is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: NIH LactMed (National Library of Medicine).
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.