5-fluorouracil: mechanisms of action and clinical strategies.
5-fluorouracil (5-FU) is widely used in the treatment of cancer. Over the past 20 years, increased understanding of the mechanism of action of 5-FU has led to the development of strategies that increase its anticancer activity. Despite these advances, drug resistance remains a significant limitation to the clinical use of 5-FU. Emerging technologies, such as DNA microarray profiling, have the potential to identify novel genes that are involved in mediating resistance to 5-FU. Such target genes might prove to be therapeutically valuable as new targets for chemotherapy, or as predictive biomarkers of response to 5-FU-based chemotherapy.
Cancer Research Centre, Department of Oncology, Queen's University Belfast, University Floor, Belfast City Hospital, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7AB, Northern Ireland.
Daniel B
DB
Longley
D Paul
DP
Harkin
Patrick G
PG
Johnston
D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015415:Biomarkers; D042943:Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP); D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000494:pharmacology; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase / Q000235:genetics; D013940:Thymidylate Synthase / Q000235:genetics; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000502:physiology
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D015415:Biomarkers; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D012313:RNA; D007372:Interferons; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D042943:Dihydrouracil Dehydrogenase (NADP); D013940:Thymidylate Synthase; D013939:Thymidine Phosphorylase; D005472:Fluorouracil