Abstract
Continuous intravenous (i.v.) infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) has been shown to be superior to bolus regimens in terms of response rates and toxicity. However, a continuous infusion is more expensive and prone to complications such as thromboembolism and infections. A way to circumvent these problems would be to administer 5-FU subcutaneously (s.c.). To assess feasibility and bioavailability of s.c. 5-FU, eight patients with advanced cancer received 250 mg 5-FU as an infusion over 90 min either intravenously (i.v.) or s.c. into the abdominal wall. The mean +/- s.d. bioavailability of s.c. 5-FU was 0.89 +/- 0.23. The interpatient variability for the area under the plasma concentration-time curve was 48% for the s.c. and 36% for the i.v. infusion. No local side effects were observed. To test the local tolerance of a more prolonged administration three patients received 930-1,000 mg m-2 5-FU by 24-h continuous s.c. infusion. The steady-state plasma levels were comparable to i.v. infusion. One patient developed a painless skin pigmentation at the s.c. infusion site. However, the same reaction was observed at the forearm after i.v. infusion. We conclude that at the dose studied s.c. 5-FU has an almost complete bioavailability and is well tolerated. Further work will show, whether prolonged s.c. infusion can be used as a safe and economical alternative to i.v. infusion.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 24 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $10.79 per issue
Rent or buy this article
Prices vary by article type
from$1.95
to$39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Borner, M., Kneer, J., Crevoisier, C. et al. Bioavailability and feasibility of subcutaneous 5-fluorouracil. Br J Cancer 68, 537–539 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1993.382
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1993.382
This article is cited by
-
Antitumor effect of intratumoral administration of fluorouracil/epinephrine injectable gel in C3H mice
Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology (1995)