Xeloda VS 5-FU

[meatie]

Xeloda is an oral form of 5-FU. Any difference in side effects between them?

[Lydia666]

Yes. I had 5fu for 3 weeks with no side effects at all. I then changed to Xeloda to get rid off the pump and i had the hand foot syndrome right away plus an overall intoxicated feeling, my eyes felt like i had just left a bar full of smoke. But, i was happy to be rid of the pump. If you are just comparing side effects, 5 fu is the way to go.

[mypinkheaven]

I've read that the hand/foot syndrome can be worse with Xeloda. Here's some info on what sort of lotion to use:

http://www.breastcancer.org/research-ne ... t-syndrome

[chemo sabe]

xeloda will cause hand foot syndrome. I chose the xelox regimen because there were three weeks between Doctor and infusions. In a separate conversation, my surgeon told me that he had many patients who got hand / foot really bad. Mine was mild but my last week of xeloda was stopped because my hands were losing skin like crazy.

[Nik Colon]

I agree with what others said. I did the pump and not Xeloda, but have seen many talk about the hfs. I did not mind the pump at all, no noise, no problems, I just didn't shower when I had the pump (but I also wasn't working). I know some may feel the pump is cumbersome, but I just wore it as a fanny pack, even to bed, and it never got in the way. This is just my experience tho.

[WriterGirl1969]

Xeloda is an oral form of 5-FU. Any difference in side effects between them?

Hi Meatie.
I did a lot of research between these two as my Oncologist wanted me to do 5-FU, but I felt really strongly that I did not want to have a port or go the pump route, and I needed to keep working. The research that I did both here and in studies that compared the two said that:

A) Regardless of which type of chemo you take, chances are you will have some side effects. Some can be fairly mild, others not so much. Xeloda seems to cause more hand/foot syndrome, although many people don't get it at all. I had it a bit, but not really that bad. I ended up with some discoloration on the bottoms of my feet and an occassional blistery feeling. Upping my water intake seemed to take care of it. From what I've read on other posts, the 5-FU seems to cause more of the cold sensitivity, first bite syndrome and a couple of other side effects. You can read up on these by searching for both in the topics of the posts. My personal opinion is that everyone is different in how their body handles different drugs. What one person experiences may be completely different than another. So if you're leaning one way, try it, and if it doesn't work well with your system you can always switch to the other.

B) Xeloda (oral) is just as effective as 5-FU (IV). In fact, some studies seem to imply the oral is more effective because it turns into 5-FU directly in the liver and passing into the colon, rather than having to travel through the entire body via the bloodstream first. If you search for the previous posts that compare the two, they should have links to these studies. If you can't find them, drop me a private message and I'll be glad to point you to them.

C) Xeloda is digested, so if you are on a drug like Omeprazole (Prilosec) or Cimetidine (Tagamet) for acid reflux, it may impact your body's ability to absorb the drug. The standard recommendation is to not take acid reducers within 2 hours before or after taking Xeloda.

All that being said, I found that taking a pill felt much less invasive and more "normal" to me, which allowed me to keep my spirits up. Also, being the primary source of income and the insurance provider for my family, the need to make sure I didn't spend all my sick and vacation time doing infusion visits was important. I decided to go with Xeloda. May people don't want to have to keep track, or take pills every day. For them, the 5-FU is the way to go. The important thing is to remember that this is your life, and you will be making decisions about it with the "guidance" of your doctors, but ultimately it's up to you. Do what is right for you, but be informed.

I hope this helps!

Hugs and Prayers,
Tracy

[LPL]

Hi WriterGirl,

Thank You very much for sharing your experience with taking xeloda.

You wrote:
"Xeloda (oral) is just as effective as 5-FU (IV). In fact, some studies seem to imply the oral is more effective ... If you search for the previous posts that compare the two, they should have links to these studies. If you can't find them, drop me a private message and I'll be glad to point you to them. "

Please - if you have links to these studies then do post them! Not everyone who read your post can send Messages.

Thank You in advance.
Kind Regards /LPL

[Marylandmaniac]

I have been doing 5 FU with Oxi (FOLFOX) for 3 rounds so far. My side effects have been very minor. Cold sensitivity is the main one but is very manageable. I use gloves. When I don't use the gloves my hands just feel like pins and needles but it isn't painful just weird. The first round I have a burnt mouth feeling but I used a mix of baking soda and water to swish in my mouth a few times a day which seemed to work. I got that from someone on here. I also got the magic mouthwash but only use that at night because it numbs your mouth for about 30 mins which is also a weird sensation. The second and third round I didn't have the mouth issue but just feel like I have a little heartburn. I have been taking a lot of supplements which I think are helping.
The pump was a pain the first round but I think because I was so nervous and the slight sound it made me think about it. Someone on here mentioned you have to think about the chemo and the pump as your ally in this fight. Funny how the mind is but when I started thinking of it like that the pump didn't bother me. I am always glad to get it disconnected though just because I worry about catching the line on something. I will say that after the pump is disconnected I feel tired about a few hours later. It lasts about 48 hours and I just feel yucky. I don't get sick but yuck is the only word that seems to fit. Two days later though I feel better and am usually back in the gym.

[PeterG]

I just finished my seventh cycle of Xeloda with Avastin...two weeks on, one off with IV infusion of Avastin at beginning of cycle. Chose Xeloda to avoid pump and so I would spend less time at chemo ward. Side effects have been tolerable, extremely stiff joints and neck after any sitting or lying down and some headaches, much better after exercise, some digestive problems--seemingly cyclic, minor hand-foot syndrome and minor sores in mouth. After seven rounds, my multiple, inoperable pulmonary nodules have all shrunk and most are "cavitary" which I am told is good. Onc told me this is now considered "stable" and he wants to treat it as "chronic" disease. He has taken me off all chemo for none weeks and then back to a CT scan. Relevant? In sum, have managed to avoid pump, side effects manageable and results have been positive.

[mypinkheaven]

After seven rounds, my multiple, inoperable pulmonary nodules have all shrunk and most are "cavitary" which I am told is good. Onc told me this is now considered "stable" and he wants to treat it as "chronic" disease. He has taken me off all chemo for none weeks and then back to a CT scan.

That's great news about your lung nodules. There are several of us on this forum who are fighting lung mets. Would you mind listing your treatments in your signature so we can follow? The link below is from Nik Colon and explains how to add a signature.

Thanks,
Sally

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=52681

[kellywin]

Just to add my 2 cents, I did Xeloda both during radiation and with Oxi. I had zero side effects with it. Either you'll get it or you won't, there's no way to tell. The pump has it's side effects too. Look at the pros and cons, and decide for yourself. There are many discussions on this board about the differences.

[kellywin]

Hi WriterGirl,

Thank You very much for sharing your experience with taking xeloda.

You wrote:
"Xeloda (oral) is just as effective as 5-FU (IV). In fact, some studies seem to imply the oral is more effective ... If you search for the previous posts that compare the two, they should have links to these studies. If you can't find them, drop me a private message and I'll be glad to point you to them. "

Please - if you have links to these studies then do post them! Not everyone who read your post can send Messages.

Thank You in advance.
Kind Regards /LPL

I believe this is the link. But others please correct me if I'm wrong:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2409640/

[WriterGirl1969]

Sorry it took a bit - here are some of the links to the studies that I was referring to. I believe there are more, but these reference sources which lead to related studies, etc. You can also google "Xeloda vs. 5FU" and get a pretty good number of results.

Should Capecitabine Replace Infusional Fluorouracil and Leucovorin When Combined With Oxaliplatin in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer?
http://jco.ascopubs.org/content/25/27/4165.full

Capecitabine versus 5-fluorouracil in colorectal cancer: where are we now?
http://link.springer.com/article/10.100 ... 011-0074-3

Efficacy of capecitabine versus 5-fluorouracil in colorectal and gastric cancers: a meta-analysis of individual data from 6171 patients
http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/conten ... onc.mdr031
and...
http://annonc.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/4/566.short

[LPL]

Thank you kelly & WriterGirl for links !

[takemeom]

I was on xeloda for two complete cycles (4months each) and i had the most awful hand foot syndrome i had to keep going off it,
during the 3rd and 4th cycles cracked chapped hands and feet
until i had to be off it for a month to get normal and when i went back on it it didn't work to stop cancer