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Previous Volume 350:2406-2408 June 3, 2004 Number 23 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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Until recently, fluorouracil was the only effective systemic treatment for colorectal cancer. It acts primarily by inhibiting thymidylate synthase, a key enzyme in DNA synthesis, and because leucovorin (folinic acid) enhances this effect, fluorouracil and leucovorin (FL) are given together. FL has been given in various dose schedules, with a continuous infusion appearing slightly more effective than a bolus.¹ FL reduces tumor size by 50 percent or more (objective response) in approximately 20 percent of patients with advanced colorectal cancer and prolongs median survival from approximately 6 months (without treatment) to about 11 months.² When given as adjuvant therapy after . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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From the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Boston.

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