[Absorption of 5-FU orally administered in a patient with postoperative gastric cancer under artificial dialysis].

A patient under artificial dialysis due to chronic renal failure suffered from gastric cancer concurrently. This patient underwent subtotal gastrectomy followed by consecutive oral administration of 5-FU (tablets) as a postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The 5-FU level in the peripheral blood on oral administration at 50 mg remained at 0.007-0.01 microgram/ml over 2 hours. This feature of 5-FU blood level is not seen in gastric cancer patients with normal renal functions on administration of 5-FU tablets, and it seems to approximate the features of a 5-FU prodrug level in the blood upon oral administration. Neither the influence of dialysis on the absorption of orally administered 5-FU nor side effects caused by 5-FU were observed. The above findings suggest that it may be possible to maintain a certain blood level of 5-FU and to perform adjuvant chemotherapy even in cancer patients under artificial dialysis, as long as the dose is controlled carefully.