What is fluorouracil?
Fluorouracil, also known as 5-FU, is a prescription drug that falls into the class of drugs for cancer known as pyrimidine antagonists. It can be used to treat several different types of cancer or precancerous conditions, including the conditions of the digestive tract and skin. Depending on the exact state, fluorouracil may be administered intravenously or applied directly to the affected area. Healthcare providers generally warn patients of various potential side effects that may be caused by fluorouracil and warn against its use in some people. Pyrimidins are special molecules that help create genetic material in cells. When a person has cancer, some cells in the body have undergone changes that cause them to divide quickly and take over the space occupied by normal healthy cells. This division process requires cells to form copies of gene. Fluorouracil works by cheating the body to think that the medicine is natural pyrimidine, which leads to its integration into geneticHo code of cells. There, fluorouracil usually prevents the cell from creating new copies and may cause an answer that causes a cell to die.
Depending on the type of cancer or precancerous condition used for treatment, fluorouracil may be given either IV (intravenous) therapy or applied to the skin. As treatment of colon, stomach, pancreatic and/or breast cancer is probably administered via IV. In skin cancer or actininic keratosis, type of precancerous skin state, fluorouracil may be applied to the affected area in the form of cream. The amount and frequency of dosage generally depend on several factors, including human weight, its exact conditions and how well the treatment tolerates.
Health care providers generally warn patients to be vigilant for various side effects of this cancer drug, including nausea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, increased sensitivityEven to the sun and a reduction in the number of blood cells, which can lead to an increase in infection and/or bleeding. Some of these side effects may be very serious, so experts generally recommend reporting any side effects. In addition to helping at the beginning of identification of potential problems, side effects may allow health care providers to adjust the treatment of fluorouracil to help reduce side effects that may be experienced with future doses.
Due to its mechanism of action and potential side effects, health care providers often warn of using fluorouracil in some people. This may include, for example, men and women trying or planning to conceive, as well as women who are already pregnant because the effects of the drug killing drug can spread to reproductive cells/or developing fetus. It may also include people taking certain medicines such as leukovorin and aspirin as well as certain supplements such as vitamin E because theirConcomitant use may increase the risk of serious side effects.