Pancreatic Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Pancreatic Cancer, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, information.

Capecitabine in carcinoma of the pancreas.

Smith DB, Neoptolemos JP

Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology, Bebington, Wirral, Merseyside, L63 4JY, UK. david.smith@ccotrust.nhs.uk

Capecitabine is an oral prodrug of 5-fluorouracil, which is converted to 5-fluorouracil by three sequential enzymatic reactions. The final requisite enzyme, thymidine phosphorylase, is present at consistently higher levels in tumours compared with normal tissues, thereby suggesting that 5-fluorouracil that is delivered in this way may benefit from an element of tumour targeting and thus enhanced selectivity and better tolerability. Capecitabine has been shown to have single-agent activity in advanced carcinoma of the pancreas and to improve response rates and survival when administered in combination with gemcitabine compared with gemcitabine alone. This paper reviews the pharmacology and clinical data that are relevant to the use of capecitabine in pancreatic cancer.

Published 28 July 2006 in Expert Opin Pharmacother, 7(12): 1633-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Pancreatic Cancer Research Today. All Rights Reserved.