US Brand Name(s): Carac, Efudex, Fluoroplex, Tolak
Use in Cancer Treatment
Actinic keratosis is a kind of keratosis that affects the skin. Carac, Efudex, Fluoroplex and Tolak are some examples of Fluorouracil.
Treatment of superficial basal cell carcinoma is also available with Efudex topical fluorouracil. People with malignancies that are resistant to standard treatment use it.
5-FU is another name for fluorouracil.
Injections of fluorouracil are also available.
Definition
Antineoplastic topical preparation that contains the antimetabolite 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). The active metabolite of 5-FU is 5-fluoroxyuridine monophosphate (F-UMP), which competes with uracil during RNA synthesis and inhibits the synthesis of RNA. The conversion of 5-FU to another active metabolite, 5-5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine-5′-O-monophosphate (F-dUMP), inhibits thymidylate synthase, resulting in a depletion of thymidine triphosphate (TTP), one of the four nucleotide triphosphates required in DNA synthesis, and so inhibiting DNA synthesis. Overall, this stops tumor cells from proliferating locally.
Topical Fluorouracil: MedlinePlus Information
A summary of key facts regarding this medication in layman’s terms, which may contain the following:
- What you should know before taking this medicine
- How it might interact with other drugs
- Possible negative effects are provided.
Many experiments are underway on drugs to see if they can assist with treating or preventing conditions other than those for which they have been approved.
Drugs are frequently under research to see whether they can assist treat or prevent conditions other than those already prevalent. This patient information leaflet covers uses which have been under authorization. Much of the material, though, might also apply to authorized uses that are being investigated.
