SERUM CONCENTRATIONS OF 5-FLUOROURACIL ACHIEVED WITH NOCTURNAL CONSTANT-RATE INFUSION IN PATIENTS WITH DISSEMINATED CANCER

Nocturnal infusion of 5-fluorouracil (FUra) was performed in nine pati ents with disseminated cancer. Three gastric, three colon and three br east cancer patients were administered 300 mg/m(2) FUra continuously f or 10h per day from 2100 h to 0700 h for more than 20 consecutive days . In the first three patients, who were treated by drip infusion witho ut the use of a volumetric pump, serum FUra concentrations ranged wide ly, from 27 to 1370 ng/ml, even though the rate of administration was re-adjusted four times during the night. The last six patients were tr eated using a volumetric pump, and FUra concentrations in serum ranged from 175 to 378 ng/ml, and displayed no circadian rhythm. Although th e dose intensity and area under the curve of FUra in these patients we re high, neither myelosuppression nor other side effects were observed .