Capecitabine in the treatment of colorectal cancer.

The fluorinated pyrimidines have been an important part of cancer treatment since the introduction of 5-fluorouracil several decades ago. Capecitabine is an oral fluoropyrimidine which is converted to 5-fluorouracil primarily in tumor tissue, and has the advantages of ease-of-administration, acceptable toxicity and significant antineoplastic activity. It is currently the only oral fluoropyrimidine approved for use in USA, and has an established role as monotherapy in the treatment of metastatic breast and colorectal cancers. Moreover, the addition of capecitabine to docetaxel in anthracycline-pretreated metastatic breast cancer significantly improved overall survival. The toxicity profile of capecitabine includes hand-foot syndrome, stomatitis and diarrhea, with minimal hematologic side effects. The combination of capecitabine with other anticancer agents is currently being investigated. The focus of the present article will be the role of capecitabine in the treatment of colorectal cancer.