Colorectal cancer is one of the major in Taiwan.It caused 3128 deaths in 1999, and represented the No.3 cancer killer in both male and female population of Taiwan.
Recently, evidence has accumulated that weekly, 24-hour infusion of high-dose 5-FU may improve the response rate and survival time compared with 5-FU bolus regiment. In a randomized multicenter trial of metastatic colorectal cancer, Kohne et al reported an overall response rate of 44%and a median survival time of 16 months using a weekly-times-six schedule of infusional 5-FU (2600mg/m2 24-hours infusion). In another randomized study for advanced colorectal cancer, de Gramont et al reported a significantly better outcome in patients treated by a similar schedule which combined "bolus plus infusional" 5-FU compared to "bolus" 5-FU. These results suggest that 24-or 48-hour infusion of high-dose 5-FU is more effective than the conventional bolus schedules.
