Until recently, bolus 5-flourouracil (FU) + folinic acid (FA) has been considered the
standard chemotherapy for patients with colorectal cancer. Several studies have shown that
Capecitabine is as effective as Mayo regimen. The Nordic FU/FA schedule was developed to be
an active and tolerable bolus regimen. The Nordic regimen consists of a short (3 minutes)
bolus injection of FU and 30 minutes later FA for 2 consecutive days each 2 weeks. In
randomized studies efficacy is comparable to other FU/FA regimens.
It is claimed that patients prefer oral therapy and in a randomized study comparing oral
therapy (UFT/FA) and bolus FU/FA (Mayo) 84% preferred oral therapy.
In the present randomized cross-over study patients were randomized for 3 courses of Nordic
FU/FA followed by 2 courses of Capecitabine (or vice versa), and patients were asked for
their preference.