What Is The Makeup Of Fu5 Chemo

Fluorouracil (5FU)

Fluorouracil is also known as FU or 5FU and is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat cancer. It is most often used in combination with other cancer drugs to treat many types of cancer including:

breast cancer
head and cervix cancers
anal cancer
stomach cancer
colon cancer
some skin cancers (equally a foam)

How fluorouracil works

Fluorouracil is part of a grouping of chemotherapy drugs known as anti metabolites. Anti metabolites are similar to normal torso molecules simply they take a slightly different construction.

These differences mean that anti metabolites stop cancer cells working properly. They terminate the cells making and repairing Deoxyribonucleic acid. Cancer cells need to brand and repair DNA and then that they can abound and multiply.

How yous have fluorouracil

You have fluorouracil into your bloodstream. Y'all may have fluorouracil through a baste or using a small pump that yous carry around for several days.

Fluorouracil is also available every bit an ointment for peel cancer. When used as an ointment information technology does not cause the usual side effects but information technology can crusade temporary irritation and inflammation in the treated areas of skin

Into your bloodstream

You lot might take treatment through a long plastic tube that goes into a large vein in your chest. The tube stays in place throughout the course of handling. This can be a:

central line
PICC line
portacath

When you have fluorouracil

Yous usually take fluorouracil as part of a class of several cycles of treatment. Y'all by and large take upward to half-dozen cycles of treatment. Each cycle lasts 2, three or 4 weeks.

Y'all have continuous treatment through a pocket-sized portable pump. The nurse attaches it to your central line. This ways you tin can go home with it. You lot go back to infirmary regularly for the nurse to alter your pump, and to run into how you're doing.

Tests

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

Side effects

How oft and how severe the side effects are tin can vary from person to person. They besides depend on what other treatments you're having. For instance, your side effects could be worse if you're also having other drugs or radiotherapy.

When to contact your squad

Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will become through the possible side effects. They volition monitor y'all closely during handling and check how you are at your appointments. Contact your communication line equally soon equally possible if:

yous take severe side effects
your side effects aren't getting any amend
your side effects are getting worse

Early treatment can aid manage side effects amend.

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

Nosotros haven't listed all the side effects here. Remember it is very unlikely that y'all volition have all of these side effects, but you lot might take some of them at the same time.

Mutual side effects

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

Increased take chances of getting an infection

Increased chance of getting an infection is due to a drop in white blood cells. Symptoms include a change in temperature, agonized muscles, headaches, feeling cold and shivery and generally unwell. Yous might accept other symptoms depending on where the infection is.

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

Looking stake and breathlessness

Y'all might be incoherent and look pale due to a drop in ruby-red blood cells. This is called anaemia.

Increased risk of haemorrhage and bruising

This is due to a drop in the number of platelets in your blood. These blood cells help the blood to clot when we cut ourselves. Yous may take nosebleeds or bleeding gums after brushing your teeth. Or you may have lots of tiny red spots or bruises on your arms or legs (known equally petechiae).

Diarrhoea

Contact your communication line if you have diarrhoea, such as if you've had 4 or more loose watery poos (stools) in 24 hours. Or if you can't drink to replace the lost fluid. Or if it carries on for more than 3 days.

Your medico may requite you lot anti diarrhoea medicine to have dwelling with you afterward treatment. Swallow less fibre, avert raw fruits, fruit juice, cereals and vegetables, and drink plenty to replace the fluid lost.

Feeling or beingness sick

Feeling or being sick is normally well controlled with anti sickness medicines. Avoiding fat or fried foods, eating minor meals and snacks, drinking plenty of h2o, and relaxation techniques tin can all help.

It is of import to take anti sickness medicines every bit prescribed fifty-fifty if yous don't experience sick. It is easier to foreclose sickness rather than treating it once information technology has started.

Difficulty animate

You might accept a sudden feeling of tightness in your chest, difficulty catching your jiff, wheezing and a cough. This is caused by spasms in the muscles of your airways. Contact your healthcare communication line or tell your doctor.

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

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

Heart problems

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

Tell your doc or nurse straight away if you have any chest pain.

Your doctor might inquire you to have tests to check your heart, such as a heart trace (ECG).

Sore inflamed mouth and throat

It may be painful to eat drinks or food. Painkillers and oral fissure washes can aid to reduce the soreness and go along your mouth healthy.

Loss of appetite

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

Hair loss

You lot could lose all your hair. This includes your eyelashes, eyebrows, underarm, leg and sometimes pubic hair. Your hair will usually grow dorsum once handling has finished merely information technology is probable to be softer. It may grow back a different colour or exist curlier than before.

Tiredness and feeling weak (fatigue)

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

Diverse things tin can help you to reduce tiredness and cope with it, for instance exercise. Some enquiry has shown that taking gentle do can give you lot more energy. Information technology is of import to balance exercise with resting.

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

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

Moisturise your skin regularly. Your doctor or nurse volition tell you lot what moisturiser to apply.

Rare side effects

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

feeling happy and excited
eye problems including rapid eye movement, inflammation, blocked tear ducts, blurred vision, eyelid turning outwards, watery eyes and double vision
headaches and dizziness
shaking and trembling, stiffness and slow movement (symptoms of Parkinson'south disease)
an increase in the muscle tone of your legs and feet causing them to be stiff
difficulty getting to sleep and sleeping
low blood pressure
liver harm - you have regular claret tests to check for this
skin problems including rash, dry pare, increased sensitivity to sunlight, hives, concealment of the peel
blast problems including thickening, pain, changes in color of the blast and nail bed

Coping with side effects

We take more information about side effects and tips on how to cope with them.

What else do I need to know

Other medicines, food and beverage

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

Loss of fertility

You may not be able to become significant or begetter a child later on treatment with this drug. Talk to your doctor earlier starting treatment if you think you may desire to have a infant in the future.

Men might be able to store sperm before starting treatment. And women might exist able to store eggs or ovarian tissue. But these services are not bachelor in every hospital, so you lot would need to ask your doctor about this.

Contraception and pregnancy

This drug may harm a baby developing in the womb. Information technology is important not to go pregnant or father a kid while you are having treatment with this drug and for at least half-dozen months afterwards. Talk to your doctor or nurse about constructive contraception before starting treatment.

Breastfeeding

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

Handling for other conditions

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

Immunisations

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

In the UK, alive vaccines include rubella, mumps, measles, BCG, xanthous fever and one of the shingles vaccines called Zostavax.

You lot can have:

other vaccines, but they might non give you as much protection as usual
the flu vaccine (as an injection)
the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine - talk to your dr. or chemist about the best time to have it in relation to your cancer treatment

Members of your household who are anile 12 years or over are likewise able to take the COVID-19 vaccine. This is to aid lower your run a risk of getting COVID-19 while having cancer treatment and until your immune arrangement Open a glossary item recovers from treatment.

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

If your immune system is severely weakened, you should avert contact with children who take had the influenza vaccine as a nasal spray as this is a alive vaccine. This is for two weeks following their vaccination.

Babies have the live rotavirus vaccine. The virus is in the baby's poo for most 2 weeks and could make y'all ill if your amnesty is depression. Go someone else to alter their nappies during this time if yous can. If this isn't possible, wash your easily well later on changing their nappy.

Slow wound healing

Fluorouracil tin can cause dull wound healing. If you demand to take an operation your doctor will normally advise you to finish having fluorouracil for a while beforehand.

They volition let you know when you tin kickoff taking it once more.

DPD deficiency

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

Before starting treatment with capecitabine or fluorouracil you lot have a blood test to check levels of DPD. So you may start treatment with a lower corporeality (dose) of the drug or have a different treatment. Your doctor or nurse will talk to you almost this.

More information about this treatment

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

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