Continuous five-day infusion of pala and 5FU: A pilot phase II trial

In order to determine whether a simultaneous infusion of N‐(phospho‐n‐acetyl)‐L‐aspartic acid (PALA) was able to increase the rate of antitumor response to 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU), a pilot study was conducted. Of 10 evaluable patients with previously drug‐untreated colorectal carcinoma, there were only two partial responses, lasting 2.3 and 1.6 months. No partial responses were observed in three evaluable patients with soft tissue sarcomas. The dose‐limiting toxicity was dermatitis. The simultaneous infusion of PALA and 5‐FU is not likely to produce a high number of antitumor responses of long duration in patients with colorectal carcinoma.