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Pharmacology: Fluorouracil is a potent antimetabolite used in cancer chemotherapy. It blocks the formation of thymine, and therefore, inhibits the synthesis of DNA, and to a lesser extent RNA.
Since DNA and RNA are essential for cell division and growth, thymine deficiency caused by Fluorouracil leads to unbalanced growth and death of the cell.
These effects are most marked on rapidly growing cells such as cancer cells and cells of the hematopoietic and gastrointestinal systems.
