What chemotherapy agents are used to treat colorectal cancer?

What chemotherapy agents are used to treat colorectal cancer?

5-Fluorouracil, or 5-FU (Adrucil®), has been the first-line chemotherapy drug, along with the vitamin leucovorin, for advanced colorectal cancers for many years. 5-FU is often given intravenously but is also available in an oral form as capecitabine (Xeloda®).

Two other intravenous (directly into the vein) chemotherapy drugs — irinotecan (Camptosar®) and oxaliplatin (Eloxatin®) — also are used for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancers. Oxaliplatin is given, along with 5-FU and leucovorin, for advanced colorectal cancers, while irinotecan is used alone or in combination with 5-FU/leucovorin for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (cancer that has spread).

Newer treatments for metastatic colorectal cancer include monoclonal antibodies and immunotherapy.

Monoclonal antibodies are created in a lab to find and destroy a particular target – in this case, colorectal cancer cells. Because of their precision, the idea is that treating a tumor with a monoclonal antibody will be more specific than chemotherapy drugs, and therefore have fewer side effects.

Some monoclonal antibody medications prevent tumors from growing the blood vessels needed for their survival, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a substance released by tumors to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. Interfering with the blood supply to a tumor might slow its growth. Others slow cancer growth by targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein found on the surface of about 60 to 80 percent of colon cancer cells. They are often used along with or after other chemotherapy agents for metastatic colorectal cancer that does not respond to other treatments.