Xeloda

Colorectal Cancer: Capecitabine is indicated as a single agent for adjuvant treatment in patients with Dukes’ C colon cancer who have undergone complete resection of the primary tumor when treatment with fluoropyrimidine therapy alone is preferred. It is indicated as first-line treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma when treatment with fluoropyrimidine therapy alone is preferred.

Breast Cancer: Capecitabine in combination with docetaxel is indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer after failure of prior anthracycline-containing chemotherapy. Monotherapy is also indicated for the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer resistant to both paclitaxel and an anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimen or resistant to paclitaxel and for whom further anthracycline therapy is not indicated.

Pancreatic Cancer: Capecitabine is indicated for the first line treatment of patients with locally advanced and metastatic pancreatic cancer in combination with gemcitabine.

Oesophagogastric Cancer:  Capecitabine is indicated for the first line treatment of patients with advanced oesophagogastric cancer.

Dosage: In case of stage-III colon cancer and locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer: 1.25 gm/m2 twice daily for 14 days, followed by a 7-day interval, given as 3-week cycles for a total 8 cycles .

For metastatic colorectal cancer, in combination therapy it is administered as 0.8-1 gm/m2 twice daily for 14 days repeated after 7 days interval.

Side effects: Myocardial infarction, angina; hand-foot syndrome (numbness, tingling, pain, redness, or blistering of the palms of the hands and soles of the feet). This can lead to the disappearance of fingerprints in some patients; diarrhea (sometimes severe), nausea, stomatitis; neutropenia, anemia, thrombocytopenia; Hyperbilirubinemia.