Raltitrexed

Research summary

Human research on raltitrexed is extensive but almost entirely confined to patients with advanced colorectal or other solid cancers. Multiple large controlled trials and phase I–III studies have evaluated its antitumour efficacy, dosing, and toxicity profile, generally finding similar objective response rates to 5‑fluorouracil and leucovorin combinations, with some variation in overall survival depending on protocol adherence and patient selection. These studies consistently document predictable toxicity focused on bone marrow suppression, gastrointestinal effects, fatigue, hepatic enzyme elevations, and treatment‑related mortality. There is effectively no clinical research using raltitrexed in healthy human subjects for performance, longevity, metabolic, or other general health outcomes. When healthy volunteers have been exposed, it has been for pharmacokinetic or safety characterization, not for health enhancement. The overall research consensus is that raltitrexed is a specialized cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent with significant potential adverse effects and should not be used outside of cancer treatment and tightly controlled trials.