Pharmacogenomics of gemcitabine: can genetic studies lead to tailor-made therapy?

Abstract

Gemcitabine is a deoxycytidine analogue that has a broad spectrum of antitumour activity in many solid tumours including pancreatic cancer. We have recently carried out a pharmacogenomic study in cancer patients treated with gemcitabine, and found that one genetic polymorphism of an enzyme involved in gemcitabine metabolism can cause interindividual variations in the pharmacokinetics and toxicity of this agent. In this paper, we review recent genetic studies of gemcitabine, and discuss the possibility of individualised cancer chemotherapy based on a pharmacogenomic approach.

• Authors: H Ueno, K Kiyosawa, N Kaniwa
• Journal: British journal of cancer (Br J Cancer) Vol. 97 Issue 2 Pg. 145-51 (Jul 16 2007) ISSN: 0007-0920 [Print] England
• PMID: 17595663 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Review)

Chemical References

• Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
• Enzymes
• Nucleoside Transport Proteins
• Deoxycytidine
• Gemcitabine

Topics

• Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic (pharmacokinetics, therapeutic use)
• DNA Repair (genetics)
• Deoxycytidine (analogs & derivatives, pharmacokinetics, therapeutic use)
• Drug Resistance, Neoplasm (genetics)
• Enzymes (genetics)
• Genomics
• Humans
• Nucleoside Transport Proteins (genetics)
• Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
• Gemcitabine