Epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and UFT plus oral calcium folinate in advanced breast cancer.

Use of continuous-infusion 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer has met with some success in recent years. In order to build on this experience, investigators at the Royal Marsden Hospital and Institute of Cancer Research have combined continuous-infusion 5-FU with other agents active in metastatic breast cancer and observed improved outcome. The current trial, described here, evaluates UFT (uracil plus tegafur in a 4:1 molar ratio) plus oral calcium folinate (Orzel), an orally delivered and tolerable prodrug of 5-FU, combined with epirubicin and cyclophosphamide, in the treatment of advanced breast cancer.