| Abstract | The oral fluoropyrimidine capecitabine (Xeloda) delivers 5-FU to the tumour site, thereby limiting the side effects and other complications associated with intravenous (i.v.) 5-FU. As an oral drug, capecitabine is preferred to 5-FU by many patients as it can be conveniently taken at home. In first-line metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC), capecitabine results in superior response rates and equivalent progression-free and overall survival compared with i.v. 5-FU/LV. There is also increasing evidence for replacing i.v. 5-FU with capecitabine in combination with other anticancer agents (e.g. oxaliplatin and irinotecan) in MCRC and in the adjuvant treatment of early stage colon cancer. In anthracycline-pretreated metastatic breast cancer (MBC), adding capecitabine to docetaxel improves survival, time to progression (TTP) and response rates beyond docetaxel. Single-agent capecitabine is also effective in pretreated MBC and is a promising first-line therapy. Capecitabine has a favourable safety profile, the most frequent adverse events being hand-foot syndrome, stomatitis and diarrhoea. Because capecitabine is orally administered, it is possible to intervene promptly with dose interruption/reduction to resolve adverse events without impacting on efficacy. The increasing availability of capecitabine in the home-based setting requires careful consideration of the role of the oncology nurse, who is the key link between the patient and clinician for effective and efficient management. |
| Authors | Cora N Sternberg, Peter Reichardt, Michelle Holland
(Affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, San Camillo Forlanini Hospital, Pavilion Cesalpino II, Circonvallazione Gianicolense 87, Rome 00152, Italy. cstern at mclink.it)
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| Journal | European journal of oncology nursing : the official journal of European Oncology Nursing Society
(Eur J Oncol Nurs)
Vol. 8 Suppl 1
Pg. S4-15
( 2004)
ISSN: 1462-3889 Scotland |
| PMID | 15341878
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)
|
| Chemical References |
- Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
- capecitabine
- Fluorouracil
- Deoxycytidine
|
| Topics |
- Administration, Oral
- Animals
- Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
(pharmacology, therapeutic use)
- Breast Neoplasms
(drug therapy, mortality, nursing)
- Clinical Trials as Topic
- Deoxycytidine
(analogs & derivatives, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
- Diarrhea
(chemically induced)
- Disease Models, Animal
- Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
- Fluorouracil
(analogs & derivatives)
- Gastrointestinal Neoplasms
(drug therapy, mortality, nursing)
- Home Care Services
- Humans
- Nurse's Role
- Oncologic Nursing
- Safety
- Stomatitis
(chemically induced)
- Survival Rate
- Treatment Outcome
|
