This study assesses the tolerability, safety, efficacy and pharmacokinetics of gimatecan in Japanese patients. Gimatecan is administered orally twice per week, every 28 days, to adult patients with advanced solid tumors who have progressed despite standard therapy or for whom standard systemic therapy dose not exist.

Inclusion criteria

• Patients with histological or cytological confirmed advanced solid tumors, which progressed despite standard therapy or for whom no standard therapy exists
• Life expectancy of at least 3 months
• No dysfunction of bone marrow
• No major impairment of renal and hepatic function

Exclusion criteria

• Gastrointestinal dysfunction, such as gastrectomy or malabsorption syndrome, that could alter absorption of the study drug
• Receipt of any investigational compound within the 28 days prior to the first dose of study drug, or failure to recover from the side effects of such prior therapy
• Receipt of other antineoplastic therapy including chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, radiation therapy within the 28 days
• Patients known to be HIV, or hepatitis B or C viruses positive, or patients with the presence of active or suspected acute or chronic uncontrolled infection
• Patients with a history of allergies to the camptothecin family of drugs

Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply