fluorouracil + epirubicin + docetaxel

FED is a combination chemotherapy regimen comprising fluorouracil, epirubicin, and docetaxel, primarily investigated by the Erasmus University Medical Center (Erasmus MC) for the treatment of aggressive pituitary neuroendocrine tumors (PitNETs) and pituitary carcinomas. This regimen is often employed as a salvage therapy for patients with refractory Cushing's disease or other functional pituitary tumors that have progressed despite surgery, radiotherapy, and temozolomide. Fluorouracil acts as an antimetabolite by inhibiting thymidylate synthase, thereby disrupting DNA synthesis. Epirubicin, an anthracycline, functions by intercalating into DNA and inhibiting topoisomerase II, leading to DNA strand breaks. Docetaxel is a taxane that promotes microtubule assembly and inhibits disassembly, resulting in cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. The combination leverages these distinct cytotoxic mechanisms to target rapidly dividing tumor cells in the pituitary gland.

Other names

FED regimenFED chemotherapy