Intravenous hyperalimentation as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil

Abstract

In a series of 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats fed orally, the LD-80 dosage of 5-FU was determined to be 15 mg/kg/day for 7 days. When this dosage was given to a series of rats nourished entirely parenterally by intravenous hyperalimentation, there was a lower incidence of gastrointestinal toxicity, and the mean survival rate was twice that obtained in the orally fed group. In a pilot series of 10 cachectic human beings with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the colon, who were treated simultaneously with 5-FU and intravenous hyperalimentation, the incidence of gastrointestinal side effects was significantly reduced, tolerance to 5-FU per unit time was doubled, and response rate (50% reduction in measurable tumor mass) was 40%, which is greater than that usually reported in comparable patients fed by mouth.