Capecitabine in the treatment of anal squamous cell carcinoma

Anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) is a rare tumor; it accounts for about 2% of gastrointestinal tumors. The goal of the treatment is to preserve the anal sphincter and maintain the quality of life; surgical excision is therefore reserved only for very early stages and in vast majority of cases concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is indicated, i.e. pelvic irradiation and concomitant mitomycin-based chemotherapy. Technological development in the field of radiodia-gnostics, nuclear medicine and radiation therapy has improved the disease staging and enabled more gentle treatment. The standard regimen of chemotherapy has been based on the combination of mitomycin C (MMC) with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for many years, with high toxicity.