Fluorouracil chemotherapy: The My5‑FU assay for guiding dose adjustment

2 The technology

2.1 One technology, the My5‑FU assay, was identified during scoping as being relevant to this assessment. The My5‑FU assay can be used to guide pharmacokinetic dose adjustment and to monitor the levels of 5‑fluorouracil (5‑FU) in the blood (therapeutic drug monitoring) in people having 5‑FU chemotherapy by continuous infusion. The aim is to achieve an optimal plasma level of the drug. 5‑FU is suitable for therapeutic drug monitoring because it has a narrow therapeutic range, that is, drug levels below the therapeutic range potentially reduce treatment efficacy and drug levels above the therapeutic range are more likely to cause side effects and toxicity. Increasing the number of people with plasma levels within the therapeutic range may result in increased therapeutic effect without additional toxicity.