gimeracil and Neoplasms

Although 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was first introduced in 1957, it remains an essential part of the treatment of a wide range of solid tumors. 5-FU has antitumor activity against epithelial malignancies arising in the gastrointestinal tract and breast as well as the head and neck, with single-agent response rates of only 10%-30%. Although 5-FU is still the most widely prescribed agent for the treatment of colorectal cancer, less than one-third of patients achieve objective responses. Recent research has focused on the biomodulation of 5-FU to improve the cytotoxicity and therapeutic effectiveness of this drug in the treatment of advanced disease. As all the anticancer agents, 5-FU leads to several toxicities. The toxicity profile of 5-FU is schedule dependent. Myelotoxicity is the major toxic effect in patients receiving bolus doses. Hand-foot syndrome (palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia), stomatitis, and neuro- and cardiotoxicities are associated with continuous infusions. Other adverse effects associated with both bolus-dose and continuous-infusion regimens include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, alopecia, and dermatitis. All these reasons explain the need for more effective and less toxic fluoropyrimidines. In the first part of this review, we briefly present the metabolic pathways of 5-FU responsible for the efficacy and toxicity of this drug. This knowledge is also necessary to understand the target(s) of biomodulation. The second part is devoted to a review of the literature on three recent prodrugs of 5-FU, i.e., capecitabine, UFT (ftorafur [FTO] plus uracil), and S-1 (FTO plus 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine plus potassium oxonate). The pharmacological principles that have influenced the development of these new drugs and our current knowledge of the clinical pharmacology of these new agents, focusing on antitumor activity and toxicity, are presented. The literature was analyzed until March 2002. This review is intended to be as exhaustive as possible since it was conceived as a work tool for readers wanting to go further.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Antineoplastic Agents; Capecitabine; Deoxycytidine; Fluorouracil; Humans; Neoplasms; Prodrugs; Pyridines; Tegafur; Treatment Outcome; Uracil

Topics: Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Drug Combinations; Fluorouracil; Humans; Neoplasms; Pyridines; Tegafur; Uracil

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of gimeracil (CDHP), a reversible dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) inhibitor, on the pharmacokinetics of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and other related metabolites by comparing the pharmacokinetic (PK) profile of S-1 (tegafur [FT] + CDHP + oteracil potassium [Oxo]) to that of FT alone.. Patients with advanced solid tumors received single oral doses of S-1 (50 mg) and FT (800 mg) on days 1 and 8 in a randomized crossover fashion. Plasma samples were collected on days 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and 10. Single-dose PK parameters were determined for FT, 5-FU and α-fluoro-β-alanine (FBAL). Following the single-dose crossover period, patients entered an extension phase and received treatment with S-1 b.i.d. for 14 days followed by a 7-day rest, repeated every 3 weeks.. A total of 12 patients were enrolled; median age was 59 years and mean body surface area was 1.94 m(2). Following S-1 administration, 5-FU exposure was significantly greater (approximately 3-fold) compared to FT alone (p ≤ 0.0007 for AUC0-inf, AUC0-last, and C(max) of 5-FU) despite the 16-fold higher dose of FT administered alone compared to S-1, while plasma concentrations of FT and FBAL were significantly lower with S-1 (p < 0.0001 for all comparisons). Following both single- and multiple-dose administration of S-1, the average maximum DPD inhibition was observed at 4 h post-dose. The extent of inhibition was similar following single and multiple dosing. Following single- and multiple-dose administration of S-1, plasma concentrations of uracil returned to baseline levels within approximately 48 h of dosing, indicating reversibility of DPD inhibition by CDHP.. Despite the differences in the FT dose administered, exposure to 5-FU was significantly greater following S-1 administration compared to FT administration. Conversely, exposure to FT and FBAL were significantly less following S-1 administration compared to FT administration. Thus, the DPD inhibitory action of CDHP contributes to a decrease in 5-FU catabolism and to significantly higher blood levels of 5-FU compared to FT alone.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cross-Over Studies; Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP); Drug Combinations; Drug Interactions; Female; Fluorouracil; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Oxonic Acid; Pyridines; Tegafur

S-1 is an oral anticancer agent composed of tegafur (FT), 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine (CDHP), and potassium oxonate. CDHP is added to prevent degradation of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) by inhibiting dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase. CYP2A6 is involved in the biotransformation of FT to 5-FU. Thus, we prospectively analyzed the effects of the CYP2A6 genotype, plasma level of CDHP, and patient characteristics on the pharmacokinetic (PK) variability of FT and 5-FU. Fifty-four Japanese patients with metastatic or recurrent cancers who received S-1 were enrolled. The CYP2A6 polymorphisms (*4A, *7, and *9) with deficient or reduced activity were analyzed. All subjects were classified into three groups according to their CYP2A6 genotype: wild type (*1/*1), one-variant allele (*1/any), or two-variant alleles (combination other than *1). The PK of FT, 5-FU, and CDHP were measured on day 1 of treatment. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that oral clearance of FT was associated with the CYP2A6 genotype (analysis of variance [ANOVA], P = 0.000838). The oral clearance of FT seen in patients with the two-variant alleles was significantly lower than those in wild type and the one-variant allele (95% confidence intervals 0.75-2.41 and 0.41-1.82, respectively; Tukey-Kramer test). The area under the time-concentration curve (AUC) of 5-FU was significantly correlated with the AUC of CDHP (ANOVA, P = 0.00126). The AUC of 5-FU and CDHP were inversely correlated with creatinine clearance (ANOVA, P = 0.0164 and P = 0.000762, respectively). Although the CYP2A6 variants are the cause of the PK variability of FT, the AUC of CDHP affected by renal function is the key determinant of the variability in the PK of 5-FU.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases; Asian People; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2A6; Drug Combinations; Female; Fluorouracil; Genotype; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mixed Function Oxygenases; Neoplasms; Oxonic Acid; Polymorphism, Genetic; Pyridines; Tegafur

Although 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was first introduced in 1957, it remains an essential part of the treatment of a wide range of solid tumors. 5-FU has antitumor activity against epithelial malignancies arising in the gastrointestinal tract and breast as well as the head and neck, with single-agent response rates of only 10%-30%. Although 5-FU is still the most widely prescribed agent for the treatment of colorectal cancer, less than one-third of patients achieve objective responses. Recent research has focused on the biomodulation of 5-FU to improve the cytotoxicity and therapeutic effectiveness of this drug in the treatment of advanced disease. As all the anticancer agents, 5-FU leads to several toxicities. The toxicity profile of 5-FU is schedule dependent. Myelotoxicity is the major toxic effect in patients receiving bolus doses. Hand-foot syndrome (palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia), stomatitis, and neuro- and cardiotoxicities are associated with continuous infusions. Other adverse effects associated with both bolus-dose and continuous-infusion regimens include nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, alopecia, and dermatitis. All these reasons explain the need for more effective and less toxic fluoropyrimidines. In the first part of this review, we briefly present the metabolic pathways of 5-FU responsible for the efficacy and toxicity of this drug. This knowledge is also necessary to understand the target(s) of biomodulation. The second part is devoted to a review of the literature on three recent prodrugs of 5-FU, i.e., capecitabine, UFT (ftorafur [FTO] plus uracil), and S-1 (FTO plus 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine plus potassium oxonate). The pharmacological principles that have influenced the development of these new drugs and our current knowledge of the clinical pharmacology of these new agents, focusing on antitumor activity and toxicity, are presented. The literature was analyzed until March 2002. This review is intended to be as exhaustive as possible since it was conceived as a work tool for readers wanting to go further.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Antineoplastic Agents; Capecitabine; Deoxycytidine; Fluorouracil; Humans; Neoplasms; Prodrugs; Pyridines; Tegafur; Treatment Outcome; Uracil

Chemoradiotherapy is a useful treatment strategy in patients with locally advanced cancers. In particular, combination of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) with X-ray irradiation is effective for the treatment of some types of gastrointestinal cancers. We investigated the antitumor effects of combination treatment with X-ray and S-1, a unique formulation of 5-FU, on human cancer xenografts in nude mice and compared the efficacy of this treatment to that of radiotherapy combined with cisplatin, UFT, another oral 5-FU prodrug, and intravenous 5-FU. Tumors implanted into the left hind legs of mice were treated with a dose of 2 or 5 Gy X-ray irradiation on days 1 and 8, and S-1, UFT and 5-FU were administered for 14 days. The efficacy of combined treatment with 8.3 mg/kg S-1 and 2 Gy X-ray irradiation in treating non-small cell lung cancer xenografts (Lu-99 and LC-11) was significantly higher than that of treatment with S-1 alone or 2 Gy X-ray irradiation alone, and the antitumor activity of combined treatment was similar to that of 5 Gy X-ray irradiation alone. Although 8.3 mg/kg S-1 and 17.5 mg/kg UFT had equivalent antitumor activity; the antitumor efficacy of combination treatment with S-1 and 2 Gy X-ray irradiation on LC-11 tumors was significantly higher than that of combination treatment with UFT and 2 Gy X-ray irradiation. Combination treatment with S-1 and X-ray irradiation was also more effective against pancreatic tumors than combination treatment with intravenous 5-FU and X-ray irradiation. To elucidate the reason for the increased antitumor efficacy of combination treatment with S-1 and X-ray irradiation, the antitumor effect of gimeracil, one of the components of S-1, was tested in combination with 2 Gy X-ray irradiation. These experiments demonstrated that gimeracil enhanced the efficacy of X-ray irradiation against lung as well as head and neck cancer xenografts in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, we observed decreased expression of γ-H2AX protein, a marker of DNA repair, in LC-11 tumors treated with X-ray irradiation and gimeracil compared to that observed in tumors treated with X-ray irradiation alone, suggesting that gimeracil may inhibit rapid repair of X-ray-induced DNA damage in tumors. The present study suggests that chemoradiotherapy using S-1 acts through a novel mechanism and may prove useful in treating patients with locally advanced cancers whose disease progression is difficult to control using chemotherapy alone.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Cell Line, Tumor; Combined Modality Therapy; Drug Combinations; Fluorouracil; Humans; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Neoplasms; Oxonic Acid; Pyridines; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents; Tegafur; Whole-Body Irradiation; Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

S-1 is an oral anticancer agent that combines tegafur, a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), and 5-chloro-2,4-dihydroxypyridine (CDHP), an inhibitor of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase. We examined the effects of aging on the pharmacokinetics of the components of S-1. The median area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of active 5-FU did not significantly differ between 10 patients 75 years or older and 53 patients younger than 75 years (P = 0.598, Mann-Whitney U test). It is interesting to note that the median oral clearance of tegafur in patients 75 years or older was significantly lower than that in patients younger than 75 years (P = 0.011). Furthermore, the median AUC of CDHP was significantly higher in patients 75 years or older than in those younger than 75 years (P = 0.004). This effect was caused by reduced renal function in the elderly, because CDHP is excreted in the urine by glomerular filtration. The opposing effects of aging on the oral clearance of tegafur and the AUC of CDHP may offset each other, leading to unchanged systemic exposure of 5-FU.

Topics: Aged; Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Asian People; Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP); Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Drug Synergism; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fluorouracil; Humans; Metabolic Clearance Rate; Neoplasms; Pyridines; Tegafur