5-Fluorouracil

BACKGROUND: Since 2010, combination therapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin is the standard treatment for patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) based on the ABC-02 trial. However, treatment after first-line progression is less clearly defined. We therefore retrospectively analyzed the efficacy of a 3-drug chemotherapy regimen in patients with advanced BTC.

Fulminant myocarditis is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness caused by 5-fluorouracil cardiotoxicity. Data supporting the use of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for the treatment of fulminant myocarditis are limited. A 49-year-old, previously healthy white man, recently diagnosed with anal squamous cell carcinoma, developed severe chest pain hours after completing his first 96-hour intravenous 5-fluorouracil treatment. Over a period of 3 days from onset of symptoms, the patient developed cardiogenic shock secondary to fulminant myocarditis induced by 5-fluorouracil cardiotoxicity. This required emergency initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The patient's systolic function recovered by day 5, and on the 17th day he was discharged in hemodynamically stable condition, without symptoms of heart failure. This case shows the importance of prompt recognition of cardiogenic shock secondary to 5-fluorouracil-induced myocarditis and how the immediate initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation can restore adequate tissue perfusion, leading to myocardial recovery and ultimately the survival of the patient.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety profiles of the targeted medications, bevacizumab and cetuximab, in combination with cytostatic drugs in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer.In this retrospective phase 2 study, a total of 59 patients with pancreatic cancer were recruited and received conventional (gemcitabine, cisplatin, and fluorouracil) or targeted regimen (conventional plus bevacizumab and cetuximab for the first cycle) in 2-week intervals for four cycles. The primary end-point for this study was the overall response rate. Secondary end-points were progression-free survival and the safety profiles of the combined therapy.The median time-to-progression and overall survival were 3 and 7 months, respectively, in the conventional treatment group as well as 11 and 13 months, respectively, in the targeted medications treatment group. The most common adverse events in both treatment groups were nausea and vomiting.

The objective of the study was to investigate the cytotoxicity and cellular uptake of prepared 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) nanohydrogel formulation using KB oral cancer cell line and VERO fibroblast cell line. The biodegradable thermoresponsive modified methylcellulose (MMC) polymer was used for the preparation of nanohydrogel whereas it shows sol-gel phase transition at 36˚C to 40˚C. The physical crosslinking method was used followed by probe sonication for the preparation of 5-FU loaded MMC nanohydrogel. Mechanism of crosslinking was studied by FT-IR and SEM. These experimental techniques explained physical crosslinking viz. H-bonding phenomenon with the interconnected porous structure of nanoscale pore size. Cytotoxicity assay in the concentration range from 1 µg/ml to 2000µg/ml shows IC50 value at around 250µg/ml. This nanohydrogel shows concentration dependent toxicity to the cancer cells while they were less toxic to normal fibroblast VERO cells.