Pharmacogenetic determinants of anti-cancer drug activity and toxicity.
Cellular responses to anti-cancer agents result from the interaction between drugs, cellular targets and mechanisms of damage repair. Despite the pharmacological advances in the treatment of cancer, the clinical efficacy of chemotherapy is unpredictable in most patients. However, new information on the genetics of cancer delineates strategies by which the genetic background of tumour cells and patients might be profiled to select anti-cancer agents with improved efficacy and tolerability. This article focuses on the application of pharmacogenetics in the characterization of differences in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of anti-cancer agents among individuals to define the likelihood of response and reduce the incidence of adverse effects.
Danesi
R
R
Division of Pharmacology and Chemotherapy, Dept of Oncology, Transplants and Advanced Technologies in Medicine, University of Pisa, 55 Via Roma, 56126 Pisa, Italy. r.danesi@med.unipi.it
De Braud
F
F
Fogli
S
S
Di Paolo
A
A
Del Tacca
M
M
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics*; D010597:Pharmacogenetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents