The Advanced Generation of Oral 5-Fluorouracil Available in Europe – Teysuno® (S-1)

Abstract

The European Society for Medical Oncology 15th World Congress of Gastrointestinal Cancer satellite symposium was held in Barcelona to discuss the oral fluoropyrimidine S-1. S-1 is a combination of three pharmacological compounds: tegafur, gimeracil and oteracil potassium. Tegafur is a prodrug of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), an oral fluoropyrimidine, and has been developed as a replacement for infusional 5-FU therapy. S-1-based chemotherapy has become first-line treatment for unresectable advanced gastric cancer in Japan. It has also shown efficacy in the treatment of colorectal cancer, and a recent Japanese phase III clinical trial in pancreatic cancer showed that adjuvant treatment with S-1 substantially increases overall survival rates compared with treatment with the standard post-operative drug gemcitabin. Following a clinical trial in Western patients, S-1 has been approved in Europe and offers a tolerable and convenient treatment regimen with a tolerable safety profile.