The role of capecitabine in locally advanced rectal cancer treatment: an update.

Preoperative infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and concurrent radiation therapy (RT) followed by total mesorectal surgery is the current standard of care for locally advanced rectal cancer (LAR). When compared with postoperative 5-FU-based chemoradiation, this strategy is associated with significantly lower rates of local relapse, lower toxicity and better compliance. Capecitabine is a rationally designed oral prodrug that is converted into 5-FU by intracellular thymidine phosphorylase.