Decreased Intoxication by Fluorouracil When Slowly Administered in Glucose

Moderate to severe systemic intoxication resulting from rapid intravenous injection of 5-fluorouracil in cancer chemotherapy has been reduced from an incidence of 50% to 60% to 6% in a series of 83 patients by use of infusions in 5% glucose over 8 hours. Doses of 10 to 25 gm per patient per course have been tolerated with minimal toxic reactions. There was objective palliation of metastases in 27% from drug therapy alone, and in a further 10% by treatment combined with hormonal or x-ray therapy. Avoidance of intoxication by slow intravenous infusion has broadened the opportunities for use of this drug in ambulatory therapy of colorectal, biliary tract, ovarian, and mammary cancer.