Only a doctor with training in administering chemotherapy drugs for cancer should administer floxuridine injection. The initial dosage of your drug will be administered in a hospital. Your doctor will keep a close eye on you both during and after the drug has been administered.

Treatment for gastrointestinal (GI) tract cancer (cancer of the stomach or intestines) that has metastasized to the liver involves the drug floxuridine. The drug floxuridine belongs to the group of drugs known as antimetabolites. It functions by reducing or halting the development of cancer cells within your body.

The drug floxuridine is available as a powder to be dissolved in a liquid and continually injected intra-arterially (into an artery supplying the tumor with blood).

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

Before receiving floxuridine,

• If you have an allergy to any of the substances in floxuridine injection, including fluorouracil, tell your doctor and pharmacist. Request a list of the components from your pharmacist.
• Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any additional prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, dietary supplements, and herbal products you are now taking or intend to use. Incorporate any of the following: such as tacrolimus (Prograf), azathioprine (Imuran), cyclosporine (Neoral), methotrexate (Rheumatrex), sirolimus (Rapamune), and cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune). Your doctor may need to keep a close eye out for any negative effects. Tell your doctor about all of the medications you are taking, even any not on this list, since many other drugs may also interact with floxuridine.
• If you have an infection or are unable to consume an adequate amount of food that is balanced, let your doctor know. The injection of floxuridine might not be recommended by your doctor.
• Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney or liver illness, undergone radiation (x-ray) therapy, or have gotten treatment with any other chemotherapy drugs.
• Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. While having a floxuridine injection, you shouldn’t get pregnant or breastfeed. Call your doctor if you conceive while receiving an injection of floxuridine. The fetus could suffer from floxuridine.

Keep eating normally unless your doctor instructs you otherwise.

The drug floxuridine may have negative effects. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Appetite loss or weight loss
• Diarrhea
• Abdomen ache
• Irritated, red, and dry skin
• Hair fall
• Injection site discomfort, itchiness, redness, swelling, blisters, bleeding, or sores are possible side effects

Some adverse effects can be very harmful. Call your doctor right away if you encounter any of these symptoms, or seek emergency care:

• Mouth- and throat-related sores
• Excessive fatigue or sluggishness
• Fever, persistent cough and congestion, sore throat, or other indicators of illness
• Uncommon bruising or bleeding
• Dark, tarry, or bloody stools
• Vomiting blood or a brown substance that resembles coffee grounds, or both
• Red, dark brown, or pink urine
• Chest pain
• Hives
• Breathing or swallowing challenges

Other negative effects of floxuridine are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this medicine, contact your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch or by phone at 1-800-332-1088 if you have a serious side event.

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Additionally, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

Overdose symptoms could include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fever, persistent cough and congestion, sore throat, or other indicators of illness
• Uncommon bruising or bleeding
• Dark, tarry, or bloody stools
• Vomiting blood or a brown substance that resembles coffee grounds, or both
• Red, dark brown, or pink urine

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. To determine how well your body is responding to floxuridine, your doctor may run a few tests.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.