title: On the use of pharmacogenetics in cancer treatment and clinical trials.
abstract: There are an increasing number of studies devoted to the identification of associations between anticancer drug efficacy and toxicity and common polymorphisms present in the patients' genome. However, many articles presenting the results of such studies do not bring the simple and necessary background information allowing the evaluation of the relevance of the study, its significance and its potential importance for patients' treatment. This position paper first addresses clinical oncologists with the aim of giving them the basic knowledge on pharmacogenetics and on the potential use of gene polymorphisms as predictive biomarkers in routine and clinical research. A secondary objective is to give molecular biologists some recommendations on how to conceive protocols and how to publish their results when they develop pharmacogenetic studies appended to clinical trials or with autonomous goals.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U916, Institut Bergonié, University of Bordeaux, France. Electronic address: j.robert@bordeaux.unicancer.fr.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robert
authors.affiliation: INSERM U916, Institut Bergonié, University of Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Le Morvan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giovannetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Godefridus J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics*; D010597:Pharmacogenetics / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Anticancer drug response; Anticancer drug toxicity; Biomarkers; Cancer clinical trials; Cancer treatments; Gene polymorphisms; Pharmacogenetics