THE DETERMINATION OF BLOOD DRUG CONCETRATION IN MESENTERIC AND PERIPHERAL VEINS AFTER INTRALUMINAL INFUSION OF FLUOROURACIL- AN EXPLORATION OF MECHANISM ON INTRALUMINAL CHEMOTHERAPY

From March to December 1986 fifteen patients patients with largebowel cancer were admitted and underwent resection. During the operation intrsluminal infusion of fluorouracil (5 -FU) was used and blood drug concentrations in mesenteric and peripheral veins were assayed.In all cases the dlood 5- FU concentrations in mesenteric veins 15 and 3 0 minutes after intraluminal infusion of 5-FU (30mg/ kg body weight) were 222 ±79μg/ml and 1 10 ±26 μg/ml, respectively. But the blood 5 -FU concentrations in peripheral veins were zero in 13 cases and very low(l.3μg/ml-1.6μg/ml) in 2 cases. The results showed that intar luminal 5-FU is quickly absorbed by the bowel wall, so that the anticancer drug reaches high concentration in the blood of regional veins in a short time, but can not bedetected in the blood of peripheral veins. Therefore, systematic toxieity may not be considered, while the high concentration of anticancer drug in the local sate may kill the cancer cells fallen into the blood stream during operation and thus prevent them from metastasis.