CAPECITABINE 500mg

Capecitabine is indicated for the treatment of: 

• for the adjuvant treatment of patients following surgery of stage III (Dukes’ stage C) colon cancer. 
• metastatic colorectal cancer. 
• first-line treatment of advanced gastric cancer in combination with a platinum- based regimen. 
• in combination with docetaxel for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after failure of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Previous therapy should have included an anthracycline. 
• as monotherapy for the treatment of patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer after failure of taxanes and an anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimen or for whom further anthracycline therapy is not indicated. 

Pharmacotherapeutic group: cytostatic (antimetabolite). 

Capecitabine belongs to the group of medicines called "cytostatic medicines", which stop the growth of cancer cells. Capecitabine contains capecitabine, which itself is not a cytostatic medicine. Only after being absorbed by the body is it changed into an active anti-cancer medicine (more in tumour tissue than in normal tissue).  

Please refer to the instructions on the prescription established by your medical doctor. 

Capecitabine should only be prescribed by a doctor experienced in the use of anticancer medicines. 

Your doctor will prescribe a dose and treatment regimen that is right for you. The dose of Capecitabine is based on your body surface area. This is calculated from your height and weight. The usual dose for adults is 1250 mg/m2 of body surface area taken two times daily (morning and evening).  

Two examples are provided here: A person whose body weight is 64 kg and height is 1.64 m has a body surface area of 1.7 m2 and should take 4 tablets of 500 mg and 1 tablet of 150 mg two times daily. A person whose body weight is 80 kg and height is 1.80 m has a body surface area of 2.00 m2 and should take 5 tablets of 500 mg two times daily. 

Your doctor will tell you what dose you need to take, when to take it and for how long you need to take it. 

• Take the tablets morning and evening as prescribed by your doctor. 
• Take the tablets within 30 minutes after the end of a meal (breakfast and dinner) and swallow whole with water. Do not crush or cut tablets. If you cannot swallow Capecitabine tablets whole, tell your healthcare provider. 
• It is important that you take all your medicine as prescribed by your doctor. 

Capecitabine tablets are usually taken for 14 days followed by a 7 day rest period (when no tablets are taken). This 21-day period is one treatment cycle. In combination with other medicines the usual dose for adults may be less than 1250 mg/m2 of body surface area, and you may need to take the tablets over a different time period (e.g. every day, with no rest period). 

If you take more Capecitabine than you should 
If you take more Capecitabine than you should, contact your doctor as soon as possible before taking the next dose. 
You might get the following side effects if you take a lot more capecitabine than you should: feeling or being sick, diarrhoea, inflammation or ulceration of the gut or mouth, pain or bleeding from the intestine or stomach, or bone marrow depression (reduction in certain kinds of blood cells). Tell your doctor immediately if you experience any of these symptoms. 

If you forget to take Capecitabine 
Do not take the missed dose at all. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose. Instead, continue your regular dosing schedule and check with your doctor. 

If you stop taking Capecitabine 
There are no side effects caused by stopping treatment with capecitabine. In case you are using coumarin anticoagulants (containing e.g. phenprocoumon), stopping capecitabine might require that your doctor adjusts your anticoagulant dose. 

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.