Xeloda, an oral chemotherapy drug

Tumors are new organisms formed by the proliferation and abnormal differentiation of body cells under various promoting effects. Once a new organism is formed, it will not stop growing even if the cause is eliminated. Its growth is not subject to normal body physiological regulation, but instead destroys normal tissues and organs. I think the threat of tumors to humans is becoming increasingly prominent and has now become one of the most common causes of death. Chemotherapy is one of the methods for treating malignant tumors. Xeloda is an oral chemotherapy drug.

Indications

Adjuvant chemotherapy for colon cancer: Capecitabine is suitable for single-agent adjuvant treatment of patients with Dukes' C stage colon cancer who have undergone radical resection of the primary tumor and have received only fluoropyrimidine treatment. The disease-free survival (DFS) of its treatment is not inferior to that of the combination of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (5-FU/LV). Capecitabine alone or in combination with other chemotherapy drugs cannot prolong overall survival (OS), but existing trial data show that capecitabine can improve disease-free survival compared with 5-FU/LV in combination chemotherapy regimens. Physicians may refer to the above study results when prescribing capecitabine monotherapy for adjuvant treatment of Dukes' C stage colon cancer. The data used to support this indication come from foreign clinical studies (see the [Clinical Trials] section).

Colorectal cancer: Capecitabine can be used as first-line chemotherapy when monotherapy with a fluoropyrimidine is the preferred treatment for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. When capecitabine is combined with other drugs for chemotherapy, the survival rate is better than that of 5-FU/LV single-agent chemotherapy. There is currently no evidence to confirm the survival advantage of capecitabine monotherapy. Further studies are needed on the safety and survival advantage of capecitabine replacing 5-FU/LV in combination chemotherapy.

Combination chemotherapy for breast cancer: Capecitabine can be used in combination with docetaxel to treat metastatic breast cancer that has failed chemotherapy containing anthracyclines.

Single-agent chemotherapy for breast cancer: Capecitabine can also be used alone to treat patients with metastatic breast cancer who are resistant to both paclitaxel and anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimens, or who are resistant to paclitaxel and can no longer be treated with anthracyclines (e.g., have received a cumulative dose of 400 mg/m2 of doxorubicin or doxorubicin analogs). Resistance was defined as disease progression during treatment (with or without an initial response) or recurrence within 6 months after completion of adjuvant chemotherapy containing anthracyclines.

Gastric cancer: Capecitabine is suitable for the first-line treatment of inoperable advanced or metastatic gastric cancer.

Specification

(1) 0.15g; (2) 0.5g.

Dosage

The recommended dose of capecitabine is 1250 mg/m[sup]2[/sup] orally, twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening; equivalent to a total daily dose of 2500 mg/m[sup]2[/sup]), with one week off after 2 weeks of treatment. A course of treatment is 3 weeks. Capecitabine tablets should be swallowed with water within 30 minutes after a meal. When used in combination with docetaxel, the recommended dose of capecitabine is 1250 mg/m[sup]2[/sup] twice a day, with a one-week break after 2 weeks of treatment. The recommended dose of docetaxel used in combination with capecitabine is 75 mg/m[sup]2[/sup] once every 3 weeks by intravenous infusion for 1 hour. According to the instructions for docetaxel, some chemotherapy adjuvant drugs should be routinely used before using docetaxel in patients receiving combined chemotherapy with capecitabine and docetaxel.

Table 1 lists the total daily dose of capecitabine calculated by body surface area and the number of tablets required for each dose.

When used for adjuvant treatment of patients with Dukes' C stage colon cancer, the recommended treatment duration is 6 months, that is, capecitabine 1250 mg/m2, taken orally twice a day, with a 1-week break after 2 weeks of treatment, with a course of 3 weeks for a total of 8 courses (24 weeks).

Table 1. Capecitabine dose calculated based on body surface area

Number of tablets to take for 1250 mg/m2 orally twice daily (morning and evening)

Body surface area (m2) Total daily dose* (mg) 150 mg 500 mg

≤1.25 3000 0 3

1.26-1.37 3300 1 3

1.38-1.51 3600 2 3

1.52-1.65 4000 0 4

1.66-1.77 4300 1 4

1.78-1.91 4600 2 4

1.92-2.05 5000 0 5

2.06-2.17 5300 1 5

≥2.18 5600 2 5