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NCI Drug Dictionary


capecitabine  Patient Information
A fluoropyrimidine carbamate belonging to the class of antineoplastic agents called antimetabolites. As a prodrug, capecitabine is selectively activated by tumor cells to its cytotoxic moiety, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU); subsequently, 5-FU is metabolized to two active metabolites, 5-fluoro-2-deoxyuridine monophosphate (FdUMP) and 5-fluorouridine triphosphate (FUTP) by both tumor cells and normal cells. FdUMP inhibits DNA synthesis and cell division by reducing normal thymidine production, while FUTP inhibits RNA and protein synthesis by competing with uridine triphosphate for incorporation into the RNA strand. Check for active clinical trials or closed clinical trials using this agent. (NCI Thesaurus)
US brand name:Xeloda
Abbreviation:CAPE
Code name:Ro 09-1978/000
Chemical structure:5'-Deoxy-5-fluoro-N-[(pentyloxy)carbonyl]-cytidine