Amongst sufferers with gastrointestinal cancers, genetic testing earlier than chemotherapy could assist enhance affected person security by offering related data wanted with a view to customise therapy doses.
In a examine printed in JCO Precision Oncology, researchers on the Perelman Faculty of Drugs on the College of Pennsylvania discovered that genetic testing earlier than chemotherapy for gastrointestinal cancers could enhance affected person security. The analysis confirmed that tailoring chemotherapy doses based mostly on preemptive genetic testing lower negative effects in half in comparison with sufferers with the identical genetic variants who acquired a typical dose with out being examined.
In response to a information launch from Penn Drugs, the examine targeted on variants within the DPYD and UGT1A1 genes, which have an effect on how the physique processes medication.
“If you happen to’re being handled with a chemotherapy routine that features fluoropyrimidine, like 5-FU or capecitabine, or together with irinotecan, ask your doctor for pharmacogenetic testing,” mentioned Sony Tuteja, the examine’s lead creator.
Tuteja, who can also be director of Pharmacogenomics on the Penn Drugs Middle for Genomic Drugs and a analysis assistant professor of Translational Drugs and Human Genetics, defined that the testing is not routinely finished, however it’s accessible and may scale back extreme negative effects.
Transcript
For sufferers with gastrointestinal cancers, what needs to be the massive takeaway from this examine?
If you happen to’re being handled with a chemotherapy routine that features fluoropyrimidine, like 5-FU or capecitabine, or together with irinotecan, ask your doctor for pharmacogenetic testing. It isn’t typically finished in scientific care as a result of it isn’t well-incorporated into routine care, however it’s accessible and may scale back extreme toxicities.
These toxicities could be extreme. They could be gastrointestinal in nature, inflicting diarrhea and vomiting, however also can result in decreases in your white blood cell depend which will lead to severe infections. Different negative effects could be hand-foot syndrome, which is a really painful shedding of the pores and skin in your palms and ft, or mouth sores and mucositis.
In our examine, we solely captured these toxicities that resulted in visits to the emergency division, an oncology pressing care unit, or a hospitalization. So, we did not even depend the much less extreme toxicities that sufferers expertise from chemotherapy. We actually checked out extreme toxicities that will lead to a kind of outcomes.
Transcript has been edited for readability and conciseness.
Reference
- “Genetic testing reduces dangers from chemotherapy for gastrointestinal most cancers sufferers,” by Penn Drugs. Information launch; Aug. 7, 2025. https://www.pennmedicine.org/information/genetic-testing-lowers-risks-from-chemo-for-gi-cancer
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