Can I Start and Stop Then Start Fluorouracil Again

Fluorouracil (5FU)

Fluorouracil is also known as FU or 5FU and is 1 of the most commonly used drugs to care for cancer. Information technology is most oftentimes used in combination with other cancer drugs to treat many types of cancer including:

• breast cancer
• head and neck cancers
• anal cancer
• stomach cancer
• colon cancer
• some pare cancers (as a cream)

How fluorouracil works

Fluorouracil is role of a grouping of chemotherapy drugs known as anti metabolites. Anti metabolites are similar to normal body molecules merely they have a slightly different structure.

These differences mean that anti metabolites cease cancer cells working properly. They finish the cells making and repairing Dna. Cancer cells need to brand and repair Deoxyribonucleic acid so that they can grow and multiply.

How yous accept fluorouracil

You take fluorouracil into your bloodstream. You may take fluorouracil through a drip or using a small pump that yous carry effectually for several days.

Fluorouracil is also available as an ointment for skin cancer. When used as an ointment it does not cause the usual side effects only it can cause temporary irritation and inflammation in the treated areas of skin

Into your bloodstream

You might have treatment through a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your breast. The tube stays in place throughout the course of treatment. This can exist a:

• central line
• PICC line
• portacath

When you have fluorouracil

You normally have fluorouracil as office of a course of several cycles of treatment. You generally accept upwards to 6 cycles of handling. Each cycle lasts 2, three or 4 weeks.

You take continuous handling through a modest portable pump. The nurse attaches it to your central line. This ways you lot can go dwelling with it. You go back to hospital regularly for the nurse to change your pump, and to come across how you're doing.

Tests

Yous have blood tests before and during your handling. They check your levels of claret cells and other substances in the blood. They too cheque how well your liver and kidneys are working.

Side effects

How ofttimes and how severe the side effects are can vary from person to person. They as well depend on what other treatments you're having. For example, your side effects could be worse if you're likewise having other drugs or radiotherapy.

When to contact your team

Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will go through the possible side furnishings. They volition monitor y'all closely during treatment and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your advice line as soon as possible if:

• you have severe side furnishings
• your side effects aren't getting any better
• your side effects are getting worse

Early treatment tin can help manage side effects better.

Contact your doctor or nurse immediately if you have signs of infection, including a temperature to a higher place 37.5C or below 36C.

We haven't listed all the side effects here. Recall it is very unlikely that you will have all of these side furnishings, but you lot might have some of them at the aforementioned fourth dimension.

Common side effects

These side effects happen in more than than 10 in 100 people (more than than 10%). You might have one or more than of them. They include:

Increased risk of getting an infection

Increased chance of getting an infection is due to a drop in white claret cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, aching muscles, headaches, feeling cold and shivery and more often than not unwell. You might have other symptoms depending on where the infection is.

Infections can sometimes exist life threatening. You should contact your advice line urgently if you think y'all have an infection.

Looking pale and breathlessness

Yous might be breathless and look stake due to a drib in ruby claret cells. This is called anaemia.

Increased take a chance of bleeding and bruising

This is due to a drib in the number of platelets in your blood. These blood cells aid the blood to jell when we cutting ourselves. You lot may have nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny cerise spots or bruises on your arms or legs (known equally petechiae).

Diarrhoea

Contact your advice line if you accept diarrhoea, such as if y'all've had 4 or more than loose watery poos (stools) in 24 hours. Or if you tin't drink to replace the lost fluid. Or if it carries on for more than three days.

Your medico may give you anti diarrhoea medicine to take habitation with yous after treatment. Eat less fibre, avoid raw fruits, fruit juice, cereals and vegetables, and potable plenty to supercede the fluid lost.

Feeling or being ill

Feeling or beingness ill is normally well controlled with anti sickness medicines. Avoiding fatty or fried foods, eating small meals and snacks, drinking plenty of water, and relaxation techniques can all help.

Information technology is important to accept anti sickness medicines as prescribed even if y'all don't feel sick. It is easier to prevent sickness rather than treating information technology in one case it has started.

Difficulty animate

Yous might take a sudden feeling of tightness in your breast, difficulty catching your breath, wheezing and a cough. This is caused past spasms in the muscles of your airways. Contact your healthcare advice line or tell your medico.

An increase of in the level of uric acid in your blood

This tin crusade stiff, painful joints. You have regular blood tests during treatment to cheque for this.

Centre problems

Middle bug include changes to how your heart works. This tin cause changes to your eye rhythm and your ankles can swell.

Tell your doctor or nurse direct away if you have whatever breast pain.

Your doc might enquire you lot to accept tests to cheque your heart, such equally a center trace (ECG).

Sore inflamed mouth and pharynx

Information technology may exist painful to swallow drinks or food. Painkillers and mouth washes can assist to reduce the soreness and go on your mouth healthy.

Loss of ambition

You might lose your appetite for various reasons when you are having cancer handling. Sickness, gustatory modality changes or tiredness can put you off food and drinks.

Hair loss

You could lose all your pilus. This includes your eyelashes, eyebrows, underarm, leg and sometimes pubic hair. Your hair will usually grow back once treatment has finished but it is likely to be softer. It may abound dorsum a unlike color or exist curlier than earlier.

Tiredness and feeling weak (fatigue)

You might feel very tired and as though yous lack energy.

Various things can help yous to reduce tiredness and cope with information technology, for example exercise. Some research has shown that taking gentle exercise tin give you more energy. It is of import to balance exercise with resting.

Soreness, redness and peeling of palms and soles (manus foot syndrome)

The skin on your hands and feet may become sore, red, or may peel. You may also have tingling, numbness, pain and dryness. This is called hand-foot syndrome or palmar plantar syndrome.

Moisturise your skin regularly. Your doctor or nurse will tell you what moisturiser to use.

Rare side furnishings

This side effects happens in fewer than 1 in 100 people (fewer than i%). Yous might have ane or more of them. They include:

• feeling happy and excited
• heart bug including rapid eye move, inflammation, blocked tear ducts, blurred vision, eyelid turning outwards, watery eyes and double vision
• headaches and dizziness
• shaking and trembling, stiffness and slow move (symptoms of Parkinson's disease)
• an increase in the muscle tone of your legs and anxiety causing them to be stiff
• difficulty getting to sleep and sleeping
• low blood pressure
• liver damage - y'all take regular blood tests to cheque for this
• skin problems including rash, dry skin, increased sensitivity to sunlight, hives, darkening of the skin
• smash problems including thickening, pain, changes in color of the smash and blast bed

Coping with side effects

We accept more data about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.

What else do I need to know

Other medicines, food and drink

Cancer drugs can collaborate with some other medicines and herbal products. Tell your doctor or chemist about any medicines y'all are taking. This includes vitamins, herbal supplements and over the counter remedies.

Loss of fertility

Y'all may non be able to become pregnant or male parent a child later handling with this drug. Talk to your medico before starting treatment if yous think you may desire to have a baby in the future.

Men might be able to shop sperm earlier starting handling. And women might be able to store eggs or ovarian tissue. Merely these services are non available in every infirmary, and then you would need to ask your doctor almost this.

Contraception and pregnancy

This drug may impairment a baby developing in the womb. It is important non to become meaning or male parent a kid while y'all are having treatment with this drug and for at least 6 months afterwards. Talk to your doc or nurse most constructive contraception before starting treatment.

Breastfeeding

Don't breastfeed during this treatment because the drug may come through into your breast milk.

Treatment for other conditions

Always tell other doctors, nurses, pharmacists or dentists that you're having this treatment if yous need treatment for anything else, including teeth problems.

Immunisations

Don't have immunisations with live vaccines while y'all're having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. The length of fourth dimension depends on the handling you are having. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long y'all should avoid live vaccinations.

In the UK, live vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, BCG, yellowish fever and 1 of the shingles vaccines called Zostavax.

You can accept:

• other vaccines, just they might not requite you as much protection as usual
• the influenza vaccine (as an injection)
• the coronavirus (COVID-xix) vaccine - talk to your doctor or pharmacist nigh the all-time fourth dimension to have it in relation to your cancer treatment

Members of your household who are aged 5 years or over are also able to have the COVID-19 vaccine. This is to help lower your hazard of getting COVID-19 while having cancer treatment and until your immune system recovers from treatment.

Contact with others who have had immunisations - You tin be in contact with other people who have had live vaccines as injections. Avoid close contact with people who have recently had live vaccines taken by mouth (oral vaccines) such as the oral typhoid vaccine.

If your allowed system is severely weakened, you lot should avoid contact with children who have had the flu vaccine as a nasal spray as this is a live vaccine. This is for 2 weeks post-obit their vaccination.

Babies have the live rotavirus vaccine. The virus is in the babe's poo for about 2 weeks and could make you ill if your immunity is low. Become someone else to modify their nappies during this time if you lot can. If this isn't possible, wash your easily well after changing their nappy.

Slow wound healing

Fluorouracil can cause slow wound healing. If you lot need to have an operation your dr. volition unremarkably suggest you lot to stop having fluorouracil for a while beforehand.

They will permit you know when you can start taking it again.

DPD deficiency

Between 2 and 8 out of 100 people (2 to 8%) have low levels of an enzyme called dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) in their bodies. A lack of DPD tin mean you're more likely to have astringent side furnishings from capecitabine or fluorouracil. Information technology might accept y'all a bit longer to recover from the chemotherapy. These side furnishings can rarely exist life threatening.

Before starting treatment with capecitabine or fluorouracil y'all take a blood test to check levels of DPD. Then y'all may start handling with a lower amount (dose) of the drug or have a different handling. Your medico or nurse will talk to you lot almost this.

More information nearly this treatment

We haven't listed all the very rare side effects of this treatment. For further data see the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website.

Yous can report any side effect you have that isn't listed here to the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA) as part of their Yellow Card Scheme.

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Source: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-in-general/treatment/cancer-drugs/drugs/fluorouracil