N-(phosphonacetyl)-l-aspartate and calcium leucovorin modulation of fluorouracil administered by constant rate and circadian pattern of infusion over 72 hours in metastatic gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma

Abstract

We have reported that N-(phosphonacetyl)-L-aspartic acid (PALA) 1266 mg/m2 can safely be given 24 hours prior to the start of a 72-hour infusion of fluorouracil (FUra) and leucovorin (LV) at doses of 2000 and 500 mg/m2/day. Since inhibition of aspartate carbamoyltransferase (ACTase) activity was evident 4 hours post PALA, we wished to evaluate PALA given 1 hour prior to FUra. Further, we studied the toxicity and pharmacokinetics with FUra given by either fixed- or variable-rate infusion.