title: Capecitabine for 5-fluorouracil-resistant brain metastases from breast cancer.
abstract: We report a case in which brain metastases originating from breast cancer responded to treatment with oral capecitabine. The metastases had progressed and Karnofsky performance status deteriorated despite whole brain irradiation, hormonal treatment, and systemic chemotherapy that included 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). In contrast, 2 months of treatment with oral capecitabine produced a partial response, documented by lesion size on magnetic resonance imaging and an improvement in performance status; both measures continued to improve during 11 months of capecitabine treatment.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Yung
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Royce
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Schomer
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Theriault
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D000069287:Capecitabine; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D011355:Prodrugs / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D011355:Prodrugs; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D005472:Fluorouracil