Toxicity of 5-fluorouracil.

Fluorouracil (5-FU) is a relatively unique drug in oncology because administration in different doses and schedules results in dramatically different patterns of qualitative toxicity. In the 41 years 5-FU has been available to the clinical oncologist, a wide variety of doses and schedules of this agent have been used. Infusional schedules are associated with less myelosuppression but may have more gastrointestinal and skin toxicity. Bolus schedules cause myelotoxicity, and bolus schedules including calcium folinate are associated with diarrhea, mucositis, and, in some schedules, myelosuppression. The availability of various doses and schedules of 5-FU for administration allows clinicians to choose a 5-FU regimen with the most acceptable pattern of toxicity for individual cases. Also, the study of 5-FU in various groups of patients has demonstrated that relatively increased drug toxicity may be expected in patients above the age of 70 years and in female patients.