Biochemical Modulation: Its Pharmacological Basis and Clinical Applications (Oncology)

Over the last decade the development of the new cytotoxic agents, along with their effective integration into combination chemotherapy, has improved survival for many cancer patients. However, survival rates for patients with advanced disease have not been improved, and new therapeutic approaches are being investigated. One of these is the use of biochemical modulation, a strategy employing drugs that favourably alter the interaction of conventional chemotherapeutic agents by enhancing their antineoplastic activity and/or by reducing their side effects. An example of such a modulator is UFT, a new compound that combines tegafur and uracil. The articles included in this special issue explore the pharmacology, clinical efficacy and tolerability of UFT as a combined cytotoxic and metabolic modulator. It is shown in several studies that the development of UFT represents an important advance in the treatment of patients with metastatic cancer, whose prognoses and quality of life may be considerably improved by thios modulator.