[Serum and tissue concentration of tegafur and 5-FU after administration of tegafur suppository in patients with lung cancer--correcting the influence of residual blood in the tissue].

Tissue concentration of tegafur and 5-FU was studied in 25 patients with of primary lung cancer, given 2 x 750 mg of tegafur suppository daily preoperatively (total doses 3.75-9.75 g, mean 5.16 g). Furthermore, the influence of blood remaining in the tissue was corrected in the determination of tegafur and 5-FU concentration. The tegafur level in tumor tissue (9.614 +/- 5.739 micrograms/g) was significantly (p less than 0.01) low compared with those in serum and normal lung tissue (13.185 +/- 8.198 micrograms/ml, 12.954 +/- 10.048 micrograms/g). On the other hand, the 5-FU level in tumor tissue (0.124 +/- 0.208) was significantly (p less than 0.01, p less than 0.05) high compared with those in serum and normal lung tissue (0.019 +/- 0.013 micrograms/ml, 0.035 +/- 0.031 micrograms/g) and showed approximately 2.5 times more minimum effective concentration against tumor cells (0.05 micrograms/g). The results show that preoperative administration of 2 x 750 mg of tegafur suppository daily is effective for the transfer of tegafur and 5-FU to lung cancer tissue.