What is "folfiri"

FOLFIRI is a chemotherapy regimen for treatment of colorectal cancer. It is made up of the following drugs:

• FOL – folinic acid ( leucovorin), a vitamin B derivative used as a "rescue" drug for high doses of the drug methotrexate, but increases the cytotoxicity of 5-fluorouracil;
• F – fluorouracil (5-FU), a pyrimidine analog and antimetabolite which incorporates into the DNA molecule and stops synthesis; and
• IRI – irinotecan (Camptosar), a topoisomerase inhibitor, which prevents DNA from uncoiling and duplicating.