Protracted ambulatory venous infusion of 5-fluorouracil.

5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) was administered by a constant venous infusion schedule at a dose of 300 mg/m2/d for 30-180 days. The dose schedule was associated with minimal toxicity in 32 patients with gastrointestinal cancer treated by employing a portable infusion pump for ambulatory drug delivery. Cumulative dose of 5-Fu was extended to three to four times that achieved by intermittent bolus therapy or short-term 5-day infusion therapy. Objective tumor regression was observed in six of 22 patients with measurable disease; 10 patients had stable disease, five of whom had a decrease in CEA levels. The responses according to tumor type were as follows: 1/1 gastric cancer; 1/2 hepatoma; and 4/18 colon cancer. The superiority of this new treatment schedule for 5-Fu will need to be established by prospective randomized clinical trials.