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Abstract
Topical 5-fluorouracil has proved to be a useful therapy since its discovery nearly 50 years ago for the treatment of a range of cancers (e.g. skin, colorectal, breast) and dermatological conditions (e.g. cancerous and precancerous conditions such as actinic keratosis, benign tumors, nail psoriasis, mycosis fungoides, and porokeratoses). As a result of the enduring utility in these conditions, the mechanism of action of 5-fluorouracil has been studied extensively in vivo and in vitro. This review provides an overview of the history and general mechanism of action of 5-fluorouracil and discusses the dermatological implications of the drug, including systemic absorption, selectivity for abnormal skin, targeted delivery, and skin-specific molecular effects. Considerations of 5-fluorouracil treatment in specific dermatological settings are also discussed, as well as recent findings of a role for 5-fluorouracil in the treatment of photoaging.
Acknowledgements
Editorial support for this article, funded by Dermik Laboratories, a business of sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, was provided by Albert Balkiewicz, MSc, of Peloton Advantage, LLC. The author was fully responsible for the content, editorial decisions, and opinions expressed in the current article and did not receive an honorarium related to the development of this manuscript.
Declaration of interest: The author reports no conflicts of interest.