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[Biological bases for individualising prescriptions in oncology: the germline genome]

Jacques Robert1, Valérie Le Morvan

  • 1Unité Inserm 916, institut Bergonié, université Victor-Segalen-Bordeaux-II, 229, cours de l'Argonne, 33076 Bordeaux cedex, France. robert@bergonie.org

Bulletin Du Cancer
|November 14, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Personalized cancer chemotherapy is advancing with pharmacogenetics, identifying gene variations that affect drug efficacy. Clinical trials are underway to validate this approach for tailoring treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Genomics and Molecular Biology
  • Pharmacology and Therapeutics
  • Cancer Research

Context:

  • Human genome sequencing provides novel tools for personalized cancer chemotherapy.
  • Pharmacogenetics, the study of genetic variations influencing drug response, is key to this personalization.
  • Identification of gene polymorphisms affecting anticancer drug metabolism and activity is crucial.

Purpose:

  • To explore the role of pharmacogenetics in individualizing cancer chemotherapy.
  • To highlight newly identified gene polymorphisms relevant to drug response.
  • To discuss the implementation of clinical trials for validating pharmacogenetic approaches.

Summary:

  • The identification of gene polymorphisms in drug metabolism (e.g., thiopurine methyltransferase, glutathion S-transferases) and activity (e.g., thymidylate synthase, XPD, MDR1) enables personalized cancer chemotherapy.
  • These polymorphisms affect drug targets, DNA repair enzymes, and transport proteins, influencing treatment outcomes.
  • Retrospective and prospective clinical trials are being conducted to validate the clinical utility of pharmacogenetics in oncology.

Impact:

  • Advances in personalized medicine for cancer treatment.
  • Improved efficacy and reduced toxicity of chemotherapy through tailored drug selection.
  • Potential for more effective cancer patient management based on genetic profiles.

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