Abstracto

Capecitabine in colorectal cancer

Michael S Braun and Chris J Twelves

Capecitabine is an oral pro-drug that is converted, via a three-step enzymatic pathway, into the cytotoxic drug 5-fl uorouracil. 5-fl uorouracil has an established role in the management of patients with colorectal cancer in the adjuvant and advanced disease settings. In this article we review the available clinical data for the use of capecitabine as a single agent or in combination with other cytotoxic drugs (e.g., irinotecan or oxaliplatin), or targeted anticancer treatment (e.g., anti-EGF receptor or VEGF therapy), in patients with early-stage or advanced colorectal cancer.