This patient-friendly article is about chemotherapy drug, Tegafur with uracil (Uftoral) which is a chemotherapy drug most often used to treat bowel cancer. It is a combination of two drugs - tegafur and uracil and is what is known as an anti-metabolite which stops cells making and repairing DNA. Cancer cells need to make and repair DNA to multiply.
It is taken in capsule form, but when swallowed the tegafur part of the drug turns into 5-flurouracil (5FU) (see above). The uracil interacts with the tegafur and stops 5FU breaking down. This means that there is more of the active drug in your body for longer than if you had tegafur or 5FU alone. Generally folinic acid is given with Uftoral to make it more effective.
Side effects can include: fatigue, diarrhoea, nausea, lowered resistance to infections, anaemia, bruising, mouth ulcers, hair thinning, skin rash, loss of appetite, conjunctivitis, headaches, constipation, changes in taste.
Go to: 10 ways to improve your chemotherapy success and reduce side-effects
Other articles that you may find interesting are:
- A diet for Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy overview
- A to Z Guide to Complementary Therapies
Go to: Return to the CANCERactive drug list