Re: Cancer Treatment/5FU

["Bjorn Cedervall" <bcradsafers@HOTMAIL.COM>]

>Can anyone tell me what sort of cancer radiation treatment is designated 

>"5FU"?

---

5-Fluoro-uracil. We had several PhD works on the effects of 5FU at my former 

department at Karolinska Institutet and I also have chapters in various 

books - it is not my field of expertise: All known effects are due to 

competition with endogenous uridine nucleotides. 5FU can be incorporated in 

RNA (and also in DNA - a possible effect on transcription or replication but 

this is probably not a major path for its effect). It can also inhibit the 

enzyme dTMP synthetase. The half life in blood plasma is short (10-20 min). 

Main metabolism occurs in the liver. It crosses the blood-brain barrier.



5FU is used alone or in combination therapies against adenocarcinomas with 

the origin from the GI tract, breast cancer, cervical cancer, uterus cancer 

(corpus uteri) and perhaps other cancers as well. Important toxic side 

effects occur in the bone marrow and the gastrointestinal epithelium. Ulcers 

may occur in the mucos membranes of the mouth. 5FU combined with radiation 

is discussed in the book by G.G. Steel, Basic Clinical Radiobiology. I am 

sure that most bookstores with textbooks on chemotherapy will have a passage 

about 5FU.



Please add, correct or modify for an improved response.



Bjorn Cedervall    bcradsafers@hotmail.com

http://www.geocities.com/bjorn_cedervall/

PS. I am soon leaving for Denver/Colorado Springs, San Antonio and SW 

Florida and must think more about packing than science. Radsafers interested 

in topics like DNA DSBs, EMF, wild plants and animals or whatever can drop 

me a line.





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