The quality of life and survival rates of individuals that receive continuous hepatic artery infusion of floxuridine for colorectal cancer metastases is significantly higher than control groups.

[5] Immobilized Aeromonas salmonicida ATCC 27013, when exposed to thymidine and 5-fluorouracil in phosphate buffer at room temperature for one hour, can synthesize floxuridine and thymine.

Antimetabolites masquerade as pyrimidine-like molecules which prevents normal pyrimidines from being incorporated into DNA during the S phase of the cell cycle.

Fluorouracil (the end-product of catabolism of floxuridine) blocks an enzyme which converts cytosine nucleosides into the deoxy derivative.

Side effects include:[10] Apart from its use in chemotherapy, floxuridine is also used in aging research employing a C. elegans model, namely to stop growth and to prevent reproduction.

[12] It has, however, been indicated that floxuridin exposure by itself increases life expectancy potentially leading to flawed data in respective studies.