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What does 5-FU mean in medical terms?
Fluorouracil is also called 5FU. It is a chemotherapy drug used to treat many types of cancer.
What cancers does 5-FU treat?
A drug given as an injection to treat cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, stomach, and pancreas and as a cream to treat actinic keratosis (a skin condition that may become cancer) and certain types of basal cell skin cancer.
How bad is 5-FU?
Fatality rates with 5-FU range from 0.5%–3.1% but have been reported as high as 13%. 5-FU is catabolized and eliminated by the DPD enzyme. If it becomes oversaturated, or a patient lacks sufficient DPD because of a metabolic defect, toxic levels of 5-FU metabolites accumulate.
How long has 5-FU been used?
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) is still a widely used anticancer drug. Since 1957, it has played an important role in the treatment of colon cancer and is used for patients with breast and other cancers, like those of the head and neck [1].
When do 5-FU side effects start?
Hand -foot syndrome (Palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia or PPE) -skin rash, swelling, redness, pain and/or peeling of the skin on the palms of hands and soles of feet. Usually mild, starting 5-6 weeks after start of treatment.
Does 5-FU cause hair loss?
Your hair may become thin, brittle, or may fall out. This typically begins two to three weeks after treatment starts. This hair loss can be all body hair, including pubic, underarm, legs/arms, eyelashes, and nose hairs.
What are the adverse effects of 5-FU when given systemically?
Acute CNS toxicities associated with systemically administered 5-FU (most frequently in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents) include a pancerebellar syndrome and subacute encephalopathy with severe cognitive dysfunction, such as confusion, disorientation, headache, lethargy and seizures.
When was 5-FU created?
Approximately 50 years have elapsed since the discovery of 5-FU in 1957 before eventually elucidating the mechanisms by which the drug exerts its pharmacological actions and provokes its adverse reactions.
Does 5-FU cause heart problems?
Cardiac side effects of the cytostatic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) have an incidence of 1.2-7.6%. Potentially, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death could occur. Life-threatening cardiotoxicity is rarely observed with a frequency <1%.
Does 5-FU cause hearing loss?
Some types of chemotherapy can damage your inner ear. These include platinum-based drugs such as cisplatin (Platinol) and carboplatin (Paraplatin). Tinnitus is often the first sign of this type of damage. You might also lose hearing when the drug damages the inner ear cells.
What does the abbreviation 5FU / LV stand for?
An abbreviation for a chemotherapy combination used to treat colorectal cancer. It is also used with radiation therapy to treat esophageal cancer and stomach cancer. It includes the drugs fluorouracil and leucovorin calcium. Also called FU-LV and FU-LV regimen.
What kind of cancers can 5 Fu be used for?
5-FU is used for several different types of cancers, including colon and rectal, breast, gastrointestinal (anal, esphageal, pancreas and stomach), head and neck, liver, and ovarian.
Where does 5FU come from in the body?
a fine tube that is put into a vein in your arm and goes up into a vein in your chest ( PICC line ). Your nurse may give you 5FU as an injection or drip (infusion). They usually run the drip through a pump that gives you the treatment over a set time. Sometimes you will have 5FU over a few days as a continuous infusion.
Who is the best person to give 5FU to?
A chemotherapy nurse will give it to you. 5FU can be given in combination with other cancer drugs. During treatment you usually see a cancer doctor, a chemotherapy nurse or a specialist nurse, and a specialist pharmacist. This is who we mean when we mention doctor, nurse or pharmacist in this information.