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Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
FOLFOX
Introduction
Overview
Overview
FOLFOX is a chemotherapy regimen for treatment of colorectal cancer, made up of the drugs
- FOL– Folinic acid (leucovorin)
- F – Fluorouracil (5-FU)
- OX – Oxaliplatin (Eloxatin)[1]
FOLFOX4
FOLFOX4
Adjuvant treatment in patients with stage III colon cancer is recommended for 12 cycles, every 2 weeks. The recommended dose schedule given every two weeks is as follows:
Day 1: Eloxatin® 85 mg/m² IV infusion in 250-500 mL D5W and leucovorin 200 mg/m² IV infusion in D5W both given over 120 minutes at the same time in separate bags using a Y-line, followed by 5-FU 400 mg/m² IV bolus given over 2-4 minutes, followed by 5-FU 600 mg/m² IV infusion in 500 mL D5W (recommended) as a 22-hour continuous infusion.
Day 2: Leucovorin 200 mg/m² IV infusion over 120 minutes, followed by 5-FU 400 mg/m² IV bolus given over 2-4 minutes, followed by 5-FU 600 mg/m² IV infusion in 500 mL D5W (recommended) as a 22-hour continuous infusion.
| FOLFOX4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| drug | dose | administration | time | term |
| Oxaliplatin | 85 mg/m² | IV infusion | 2 h | day 1 |
| Folinic acid | 200 mg/m² | IV infusion | 2 h | day 1 + 2 |
| Fluorouracil | 400 mg/m² | IV bolus | 2 min | day 1 + 2 |
| Fluorouracil | 600 mg/m² | IV infusion | 22 h | day 1 + 2 |
Premedication with antiemetics, including 5-HT3 blockers with or without dexamethasone, is recommended.
References
References
- ↑ Cancer Research UK, CancerHelp UK
- ↑ de Gramont A, Figer A, Seymour M, Homerin M, Hmissi A, Cassidy J, Boni C, Cortes-Funes H, Cervantes A, Freyer G, Papamichael D, Le Bail N, Louvet C, Hendler D, de Braud F, Wilson C, Morvan F, Bonetti A (2000). “Leucovorin and fluorouracil with or without oxaliplatin as first-line treatment in advanced colorectal cancer”. J Clin Oncol. 18 (16): 2938–47. PMID 10944126. HTML PDFPatients with advanced colorectal cancer were given 5-fluorouracil and leukovorin. Those who were also given oxaliplatin were more likely to have a response, and had longer progression-free survival, than patients without oxaliplatin. However, patients with oxaliplatin didn’t survive any longer than patients without it.
- ↑ FDA Approval: Eloxatin [oxaliplatin] PDF
- Goldberg R, Sargent D, Morton R, Fuchs C, Ramanathan R, Williamson S, Findlay B, Pitot H, Alberts S (2004). “A randomized controlled trial of fluorouracil plus leucovorin, irinotecan, and oxaliplatin combinations in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer”. J Clin Oncol. 22 (1): 23–30. PMID 14665611.
