FOLFOX
Meaning of FOLFOX: FOLFOX is a chemotherapy regimen combining three drugs to treat colorectal cancer, with several dosing variants used in different clinical situations.
Definition of FOLFOX
FOLFOX is an abbreviation for a combination chemotherapy regimen used mainly to treat colorectal cancer, particularly disease that is advanced or has returned after earlier treatment. The regimen combines three drugs given together: folinic acid, also called leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin, each contributing a different mechanism against dividing cancer cells.
Several versions of FOLFOX exist, commonly labeled FOLFOX-4, FOLFOX-6, modified FOLFOX-6, and FOLFOX-7, which differ from one another in the doses of the three drugs and in how treatment is scheduled and administered. Choosing among these variants depends on the clinical situation and how a person is expected to tolerate treatment.
FOLFOX is typically given through a scheduled intravenous infusion, and related regimens are also used for certain other cancers of the digestive tract beyond colorectal cancer. Oxaliplatin, one of the three component drugs, is associated with nerve related side effects that can persist between treatment cycles, a recognized feature of this particular regimen.
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Used in a sentence
The patient began a FOLFOX regimen for newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer.
Good to know
FOLFOX is often confused with FOLFIRI, a related regimen that substitutes irinotecan for oxaliplatin; both are standard combination options for colorectal cancer but carry different characteristic side effects.