Folinic acid (also called leucovorin or calcium folinate) is not a chemotherapy drug. It may be given along with the following chemotherapy drugs:
- fluorouracil (5FU)
- tegafur-uracil
- methotrexate.
Folinic acid is often given with 5FU to treat cancers of the colon, rectum and other parts of the digestive system. It makes 5FU work better. It may also be given with tegafur-uracil which is a similar drug to 5FU.
Folinic acid is also sometimes given with methotrexate, which is used to treat different types of cancer. It is mainly used with higher doses of methotrexate to help reduce the side effects. This is sometimes called folinic acid rescue or leucovorin rescue.
It is best to read this information with our general information about chemotherapy and the type of cancer you have.