calcipotriene + fluorouracil

Calcipotriene + fluorouracil is a **topical combination therapy** primarily used for the treatment of actinic keratosis and other superficial precancerous and cancerous skin lesions. Calcipotriene (also called calcipotriol) is a synthetic vitamin D3 analog that modulates immune responses and promotes differentiation in keratinocytes, while fluorouracil (5-FU) is an antimetabolite that inhibits thymidylate synthase, interfering with DNA synthesis and inducing cell death in dysplastic and neoplastic skin cells. When used together, calcipotriene enhances the immune recognition of dysplastic cells treated with 5-FU, resulting in synergistic activation of local immune responses, notably stimulating a **CD4+ T-cell–mediated reaction**. This leads to significantly higher lesion clearance rates and allows for a much **shorter treatment duration** than either drug alone, with reduced adverse event severity[1][2][4][5][6].

Brand names

Efucal FU/Cal

Other names

calcipotriol + 5-fluorouracilfluorouracil/calcipotriol5-FU/calcipotriol