Expert review of anticancer therapy
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Dec 2004
ReviewCapecitabine: the new generation of fluoropyrimidines in colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the USA and fluoropyrimidines have been the mainstay of treatment for over 40 years. Currently, capecitabine is the only orally available fluoropyrimidine approved for treatment in the USA. As a single agent it has demonstrated activity and equivalence to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) intravenous administration via the Mayo Clinic regimen, in both the metastatic and adjuvant settings. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating the efficacy of capecitabine in combination with oxaliplatin and irinotecan as more convenient substitutes for infusional 5-FU in the 5-FU/leucovorin/oxaliplatin and 5-FU/irinotecan regimens.
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Malignant melanoma is increasing in incidence worldwide, and many patients remain at a significant risk of recurrence following surgical resection. Over the past 30 years, interferon-alpha has been the only agent approved for adjuvant therapy of melanoma. This review summarizes the rationale for adjuvant therapy, and discusses the roles of interferon, immunotherapy, chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the adjuvant setting. New approaches and novel combinations that appear promising for the adjuvant therapy of malignant melanoma are also outlined.