If you go to the chemotherapy page of the main OCF web site
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/chemotherapy.htmyou will find Fluorouracil, sometimes called 5-FU, is part of a family of drugs known as ANTIMETABOLITES. It is not regularly used alone but as part of a three chemical cocktail, all components of which impact some portion of cell behavior. It has been around for awhile. This part of that cocktail deals with replication the cell. Personally I have not heard of it being used by itself before, as usually it needs to be part of a multi pronged attack on cell function, but I have not read a lot about chemo lately, nor heard of any breakthrough in that area. Therapies (outside of monoclonal antibodies) have stayed pretty much consistent for the last 5-8 years. F-5U itself has actually been around for decades. Patients that get this drug often have some of the worst side effects like really severe mucocitis. Some institutions were using it with oral folic acid, which in some studies increased effectiveness, but I think that was discontinued because it also increased liver toxicity. Please check out that fact with doctors as I am uncertain of the current thinking.
