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Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency as a cause of fatal 5-Fluorouracil toxicity
Shiraz S Fidai1, Aarti E Sharma1, Daniel N Johnson1
1University of Chicago Medicine, Department of Pathology. Chicago, IL, USA.
Abstract:
5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), in combination with other cytotoxic drugs, is commonly used to treat a variety of cancers. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) catalyzes the first catabolic step of the 5-FU degradation pathway, converting 80% of 5-FU to its inactive metabolite. Approximately 0.3% of the population demonstrate complete DPD deficiency, translating to extreme toxicity of 5-FU. Here we present a case of a patient who had a fatal outcome after treatment with 5-FU who was found to have an unknown DPD deficiency discovered at autopsy.
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