Fluoropyrimidines (5-FU and capecitabine) are anticancer drugs commonly used in a range of cancers including oesophageal, gastric and colorectal cancers.  Their toxicity is unpredictable, leading to significant and sometimes life-threatening side effects.  Pharmacokinetics (steady state plasma level, area under the curve, etc.) varies between patients by a factor of 5-10, and this is also unpredictable.  Although therapeutic drug monitoring might allow better management of pharmacokinetic variability by rapid dose adjustment, it is labour-intensive and time-consuming.

Four of North America’s leading cancer researchers will give keynote presentations at the international Translational Cancer Research Conference in Newcastle from tomorrow until Friday.