5-Fluorouracil in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Neoplasm

To the Editor: Dr. Kaufman's review of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in gastrointestinal neoplasia (N Engl J Med 288:199–201, 1973) has much to recommend it, particularly his insistence on controlled studies before this drug is accepted as an adjuvant to traditional surgical approaches or as something of value for the patient with early, asymptomatic metastatic disease. Regrettably, Dr. Kaufman abandons this scientific theme in his criticism of the dosage regimen in the package insert of the Hoffmann-LaRoche company. In preference, his discussion strongly endorses the weekly administration method without a loading course by either the intravenous or the oral route — in.