If PK guided dose management is a more rational approach to administering 5-FU, why aren more oncologists use it?
The simple answer is that, until now, there has been no fast and practical method for oncologists to measure 5-FU plasma levels and to use a PK-guided dosing strategy – as the methodology has not been readily available to them. Over the past 20-30 years, several different methodologies have been developed in research laboratories to precisely measure 5-FU blood levels. These include cell-based assays, gas liquid chromatography (GLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and most recently, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).211-214 Using these research tools, several studies have demonstrated that a PK-based dose management approach for infusional 5-FU can improve clinical outcomes and reduce toxicities.
