Has any one out there had this treatment? The doctors are giving us this as a last resort. The cancer has reoccured in the throat and we have alreay had radaition and other cheoms one of which did not work at all and the other worked for about 6 months. The cancer is also in the lungs.

Im sorry but I have not heard of this chemo being mentioned before. With oral cancer there are only a few chemos which will help to shrink tumors.

Have you been to a cancer center? Here is a list. It might help going to one of these top notch facilities.
NCI Cancer Centers

I wish you all the best with everything you both are going thru.

I wish I knew - I've heard of it but don't know that it was in relation to oral cancer. Find cocopop on here she has a thread - that may be able to give you some info on a program her father was involved in it tests specifically for a chemo that works on the individual cancer. Sorry about all you've been through... Offering you many blessings and good thoughts... and definitely seek treatment at a ccc if you aren't already. Take care!

If you go to the chemotherapy page of the main OCF web site

http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/chemotherapy.htm

you 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.

Kevin had 5-Fu at the same time as his Cistplatin and Taxotere. It is a nasty chemo that is infused into your body for 5 days. You leave the office with a bottle of the stuff in a carrier and the needle in your port and just let it do it's thing. It made Kevin very sick. The second cycle was actually reduced just a little as the first took such a toll on him.
Just FYI!!

Thanks to everyone for all of your help. He has decided to not take the treatment and just let God be his treatment. Mike is parital paralyzed on his left side and they have already told us that some of the chemos would just make him where he could not walk because of this. They also told us there was only a slim chance that the FU5 was going to work for him. I lost my sister to lung cancer 2-1/2 years ago so I am just going to support what ever decision he makes. It is so hard to watch someone you love go through this.

Hi, Diane
What a hard decision to make. I hope that this forum will be able to provide some support on the road ahead.
Maria

Hi Diane,
You are right, it is his decision. There is a forum for caregivers and I would encourage you to use it as you proceed. There are others who have been down the same road and I'm sure any wisdom they have they will share. We are here for you, please know that this is a safe place to share your fears and concerns.
Blessings,
Kathy

God bless, and hugs.