Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 29, 2025

Author Spotlight: Genetic Profiling for Fluorouracil Response in Gastric Cancer
06:21

Author Spotlight: Genetic Profiling for Fluorouracil Response in Gastric Cancer

Published on: May 10, 2024

831

Pharmacogenomics in Cytotoxic Chemotherapy of Cancer

Zahra Talebi1, Alex Sparreboom2, Susan I Colace3,4

  • 1Division of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.

Methods in Molecular Biology (Clifton, N.J.)
|September 6, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Pharmacogenetic testing can help predict and reduce chemotherapy side effects in cancer patients. However, its routine clinical use for specific drug-gene pairs remains limited, with much still to be learned.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacogenetics
  • Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

  • Cytotoxic chemotherapy is a cornerstone of cancer treatment.
  • Chemotherapy-related toxicities significantly impact patient outcomes and treatment adherence.
  • Pharmacogenetic testing has the potential to personalize cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current state of pharmacogenetic testing in cancer care.
  • To identify known, theorized, and unknown aspects of its clinical application.
  • To assess the potential for predicting and mitigating chemotherapy-induced toxicities.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of pharmacogenetic studies in oncology.
  • Analysis of identified drug-gene pairs and their clinical utility.
  • Synthesis of existing evidence on pharmacogenetic testing in cancer patients.

Main Results:

  • Multiple drug-gene associations for chemotherapy toxicity have been identified.
  • Few of these pharmacogenetic markers are currently implemented in routine clinical practice.
  • Significant knowledge gaps exist regarding the clinical validity and utility of many tests.

Conclusions:

  • Pharmacogenetic testing holds promise for optimizing chemotherapy regimens.
  • Barriers to routine clinical adoption of pharmacogenetic testing in cancer need to be addressed.
  • Further research is required to establish evidence-based guidelines for its use.
Keywords:
CancerChemotherapyEfficacyPharmacogeneticsPharmacogenomicsToxicity

More Related Videos

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo09:19

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Cancer Drug Sensitization In Vitro and In Vivo

Published on: February 6, 2015

8.8K
Looking for Driver Pathways of Acquired Resistance to Targeted Therapy: Drug Resistant Subclone Generation and Sensitivity Restoring by Gene Knock-down08:59

Looking for Driver Pathways of Acquired Resistance to Targeted Therapy: Drug Resistant Subclone Generation and Sensitivity Restoring by Gene Knock-down

Published on: December 11, 2017

7.3K

Related Concept Videos

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine02:50

Combination Therapies and Personalized Medicine

Combining two or more treatment methods increases the life span of cancer patients while reducing damage to vital organs or tissue from the overuse of a single treatment. Combination therapy also targets different cancer-inducing pathways, thus reducing the chances of developing resistance to treatment.
The combination of the drug acetazolamide and sulforaphane is a good example of combination therapy to treat cancer. The cells in the interior of a large tumor often die due to the hypoxic and...
5.1K
Treatment Resistant Cancers02:56

Treatment Resistant Cancers

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. A cancer cell is genetically unstable and hence can mutate faster. They can also modify their microenvironment and escape immune surveillance. The difficulties in treating cancer are further compounded by the emergence of rapid resistance to anticancer drugs. The most common ways to attain resistance in cancer cells include alteration in drug transport and metabolism, modification of drug target, elevated DNA damage response, or...
3.4K
Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
7.8K
Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Role of Transporters01:27

Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Role of Transporters

A drug's nonlinear kinetics can be influenced by a diverse range of transporter proteins that serve as crucial players in drug distribution. These transporters, found within cells, can enhance or reduce local drug concentrations by facilitating the influx or efflux of drugs. For instance, the expression of xenobiotic transporters can be influenced by factors such as age and gender, potentially impacting the linearity of drug response.
Polymorphisms occurring in drug transporters can alter...
91
Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists01:28

Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: Neurokinin-1 Receptor Antagonists

Neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptors are distributed across the GI tract, vagal afferents, and key CNS regions including the central vomiting center and chemoreceptor trigger zone (CTZ) Chemotherapy agents stimulate enterochromaffin cells in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to release large amounts of substance P (SP). SP is a neuropeptide released by specific sensory nerves in response to many different stressors, including those in the GI mucosa affected by chemotherapy.  SP binds and activates...
250
Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Overview01:19

Nonlinear Pharmacokinetics: Overview

Nonlinear or dose-dependent pharmacokinetics is a phenomenon that occurs when the pharmacokinetic parameters of certain drugs deviate from linear pharmacokinetics at higher doses. These drugs do not follow the expected first-order kinetics, where the rate of drug elimination is directly proportional to the drug concentration. Instead, they exhibit a nonlinear relationship, which can be attributed to several factors.
Nonlinearity can arise due to the saturation of plasma protein-binding or...
528