[Effects of preoperative administration of UFT in gastrointestinal cancer]

UFT, a combination antitumor drug consisting of 1 part Futraful and 4 parts Uracil, was administered preoperatively to 10 patients with gastric cancer, 9 patients with colo-rectal cancer and 1 patient with hepatocellular carcinoma. A pharmacokinetic study was then carried out after oral administration of 600 mg per day of UFT, measuring Uracil, Futraful and 5-FU levels in serum and tumor tissue. Preoperative total doses of UFT for gastric cancer were 3.0-11.4 g, for colo-rectal cancer 3.6-16.8 g and for hepatocellular carcinoma 8.4 g. Side effects, mainly gastrointestinal symptoms, were observed in 3 cases. Abnormalities of liver function test, depression of serum protein and bone marrow damage were observed in 4 cases. 5-FU concentration in the tumor tissue was higher than 0.05 mu/g in 15 of 19 patients (79%). This suggested that 5-FU was maintained in the tumor tissue for a longer period. However, it also suggested that the concentration of Uracil in the tumor tissue corresponded to the total dose of UFT as did the degree of side effects.