An update on ethnic differences in drug metabolism and toxicity from anti-cancer drugs

Review of the Contribution of Clinical and Genetic Factors to the Racial Disparity in Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Taxanes are first-line chemotherapy for several solid tumors, but their use is often limited by taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy (TIPN), which can cause acute symptoms in up to 70% of patients and severely deteriorate long-term quality of life. Recent evidence from large prospective observational studies confirms a dramatic racial disparity, with Black/African-ancestry patients facing roughly two times greater risk of TIPN compared to White patients. Understanding the root causes of this disparity is a critical first step toward eliminating inequities in cancer treatment side effects, aligning with a major goal of the U.S. National Cancer Institute's National Cancer Plan. This review examines clinical and genetic factors contributing to racial differences in TIPN, focusing on those that have been associated with TIPN risk and are more prevalent within Black/African-ancestry individuals. Pre-existing neuropathy, vitamin D insufficiency, metabolic risk factors (obesity/diabetes), systemic taxane exposure, and genetic variants are discussed as potential contributors to this racial disparity. The review concludes by describing additional research that is needed to determine which of these factors are responsible for this disparity and what types of translational clinical studies could be conducted to target these mechanisms and reduce inequity. These findings could inform clinical strategies that improve long-term quality of life and promote health equity in taxane-treated cancer patients in the U.S. and globally.

Survival Outcomes Following Chemotherapy for High-Grade Central Nervous System Tumors in Adolescents and Young Adults: An Exploration of Variations According to Ethnicity and Deprivation

Introduction: Adolescents and young adults (AYA) are a unique subgroup of patients who experience cancer at the interface between pediatric and adult oncology services. Central nervous system (CNS) tumors are the leading cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality in this group. Socioeconomic status and ethnicity are known to impact CNS tumor survival in patients of all ages. Studies reporting AYA CNS survival outcomes by ethnicity and area-based deprivation, however, are lacking in the United Kingdom (UK). Methods: Using cancer registration data for 351 patients (12-29 years) who received systemic chemotherapy for a high-grade malignant CNS tumor in England between April 2014 and December 2018, we quantified differences in survival at 1, 2, and 3 years post-diagnosis by ethnicity and area-based socioeconomic status. Results: Lower survival estimates were seen for non-White ethnicity and lower socioeconomic groups. Three-year survival was 64.4% (95% CI 58.3-69.9) for White patients but 46.6% (95% CI 29.9-61.7) for non-Whites and 64.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] 49.0-75.7) and 62.9% (95% CI 50.7-72.8) in those from the two least deprived fifths compared to 50.2% (95% CI 36.1-62.7) and 56.1% (95% CI 42.4-67.7) in the two most deprived groups. Conclusion: Our study is the first to show the existence of health disparities in AYA treated with chemotherapy for a primary CNS tumor in England, where patients from ethnic minorities and deprived areas had worse survival rates than their White and socioeconomically advantaged counterparts. These findings call for further research into the underlying reasons behind survival differences between sociodemographic groups to improve survivorship outcomes.

Treosulfan- Versus Busulfan-based Conditioning in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndrome: A Single-center Retrospective Propensity Score-matched Cohort Study

Treosulfan has shown promise in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for its myeloablative properties and low toxicity. In this single-center retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study we compared treosulfan- and busulfan-based conditioning in allogeneic HCT for patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). This study included 138 adults who underwent allogeneic HCT for MDS or chronic myelomonocytic leukemia at Princess Margaret Hospital, Toronto, from 2015 to 2022. Using propensity score matching, we compared transplant outcomes between 2 well-matched cohorts who received conditioning with either fludarabine-treosulfan (FT) (n = 46) or fludarabine-busulfan with total body irradiation (FBT200) (n = 92). A scoring system based on patient age, Karnofsky performance score, and hematopoietic cell transplant comorbidity index was used to assign patients based on fitness to low-dose (30 g/m2) or high-dose (42 g/m2) treosulfan: 32 (69.6%) received high-dose treosulfan. The racial composition of the 2 groups was similar, with 27.2% and 21.7% of FBT200 and FT recipients, respectively, identifying as non-Caucasian (P = .61). Primary outcomes were analyzed at a median follow-up of 747 days. Of all participants, 116 (84.0%) received graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis with post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCY) and antithymocyte globulin (ATG). Patients who received FT had a superior 2-year overall survival (OS) compared to those who received FBT200: 66.9% (95% confidence interval (CI): 46.1 to 81.2) versus 44.5% (95% CI: 34 to 54.4), hazard ratio (HR): 0.43, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.84 (P = .013). In multivariate analysis (MVA), only the use of fresh grafts (P = .02) and FT (P = .01) were associated with improved OS. FT was associated with superior 2-year relapse-free survival (RFS) compared to FBT200: 63.1% (95% CI: 42.6 to 77.9) versus 39.1% (95% CI: 29.1 to 49.1), HR: 0.44 (95% CI: 0.24 to 0.81), P = .008. In MVA, the use of fresh grafts (P = .03) and FT (P = .009) were associated with improved RFS. Recipients of FT demonstrated superior 2-year graft-versus-host disease relapse-free survival (GRFS) compared to those who received FBT200: 57.4% (95% CI: 37.8 to 72.8) versus 35.1% (95% CI: 25.5 to 45). In MVA, only FT was associated with superior GRFS (P = .02). FT recipients exhibited markedly superior 1-year event-free survival compared to recipients of FBT200 in univariate analysis (40.3% (95% CI: 25.9 to 54.2) versus 9.2% (95% CI: 4.4 to 16.3), HR: 0.47 (95% CI: 0.30 to 0.72), P < .001) and MVA (P = .004). FT was associated with lower 1-year nonrelapse mortality compared to FBT200 in univariate analysis (9.9% (95% CI: 3.0 to 21.8) versus 29.7% (95% CI: 20.6 to 39.3), HR: 0.41 (95% CI: 0.17 to 0.96), P = .04) and MVA (P = .04). Our study utilized propensity score matching to demonstrate superiority of treosulfan- over busulfan-based conditioning in stem cell transplantation of patients with MDS and is the first to evaluate the performance of treosulfan-based conditioning in combination with ATG and PTCY. As such, it contributes to the increasing body of evidence supporting the safety of treosulfan, even at the dose of 42 g/m2.

Optimizing the prescription doses and tolerability of systemic therapy in head and neck cancer patients

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck accounts for 330 000 deaths and 650 000 cases worldwide annually. Systemic therapy is an essential pillar of multimodal therapy despite being accompanied with substantial toxicity. This article reviews the latest advances in systemic therapy for the treatment of locoregionally advanced and reccurent/metastatic head and neck cancer from a tolerability perspective.

RECENT FINDINGS

Multiple recent attempts have been made to optimize tolerability (and efficacy) of systemic therapy utilizing new regimens, modified prescription doses, drugs such as immunotherapies or genotyping to tailor the systemic therapy to the individual patient.

SUMMARY

Although treatment benefit has to be weighed against potential toxicity, it is reasonable to anticipate potential side effects of systemic therapies. In a vulnerable elderly or Asian patient population upfront dose modifications of cytotoxic chemotherapies might be reasonable. Special attention should be laid on the patient's nutritional status and early intervention recommended. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase genotyping can predict 5-fluorouracil toxicity and identify patients for whom alternative regimens are more suitable. As for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, despite being well tolerated, the identification of biomarkers to predict reduced tolerability or severe toxicity would be highly desirable.

Clinical Trial Diversity: An Opportunity for Improved Insight into the Determinants of Variability in Drug Response

Although the number of countries participating in pivotal trials submitted to enable drug registration has nearly doubled over the past 25 years, there has not been a substantial increase in the diversity of clinical trial populations. In parallel, our understanding of factors that influence medicine response and variability has continued to evolve. The notion of intrinsic and extrinsic sources of variability has been embedded into different regulatory guidelines, including the recent guideline on the importance of enhancing the diversity of clinical trial populations.

In addition to presenting the clinical and scientific reasons for ensuring that clinical trial populations represent the demographics of patient populations, this overview outlines the efforts of regulatory agencies, patient advocacy groups and clinical researchers to attain this goal through strategies to meet representation in recruitment targets and broaden eligibility criteria. Despite these efforts, challenges to participation in clinical trials remain, and certain groups continue to be underrepresented in development programmes. These challenges are amplified when the representativeness of specific groups may vary across countries and regions in a global clinical programme.

Whilst enhanced trial diversity is a critical step towards ensuring that results will be representative of patient populations, a concerted effort is required to characterise further the factors influencing interindividual and regional differences in response for global populations. Quantitative clinical pharmacology principles should be applied to allow extrapolation of data across groups or regions as well as provide insight into the effect of patient‐specific characteristics on a medicine's dose rationale and efficacy and safety profiles.

Race-Specific Genetic Profiles of Homologous Recombination Deficiency in Multiple Cancers

Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) has been used to predict both cancer prognosis and the response to DNA-damaging therapies in many cancer types. HRD has diverse manifestations in different cancers and even in different populations. Many screening strategies have been designed for detecting the sensitivity of a patient's HRD status to targeted therapies. However, these approaches suffer from low sensitivity, and are not specific to each cancer type and population group. Therefore, identifying race-specific and targetable HRD-related genes is of clinical importance. Here, we conducted analyses using genomic sequencing data that was generated by the Pan-Cancer Atlas. Collapsing non-synonymous variants with functional damage to HRD-related genes, we analyzed the association between these genes and race within cancer types using the optimal sequencing kernel association test (SKAT-O). We have identified race-specific mutational patterns of curated HRD-related genes across cancers. Overall, more significant mutation sites were found in ATM, BRCA2, POLE, and TOP2B in both the 'White' and 'Asian' populations, whereas PTEN, EGFG, and RIF1 mutations were observed in both the 'White' and 'African American/Black' populations. Furthermore, supported by pathogenic tendency databases and previous reports, in the 'African American/Black' population, several associations, including BLM with breast invasive carcinoma, ERCC5 with ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma, as well as PTEN with stomach adenocarcinoma, were newly described here. Although several HRD-related genes are common across cancers, many of them were found to be specific to race. Further studies, using a larger cohort of diverse populations, are necessary to identify HRD-related genes that are specific to race, for guiding gene testing methods.

Effects of itraconazole and rifampicin on the single-dose pharmacokinetics of the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor blocker esaxerenone in healthy Japanese subjects

AIMS

To investigate the effects of the strong cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A inhibitor itraconazole and the strong CYP3A inducer rifampicin on the pharmacokinetics of single-dose esaxerenone, a nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor blocker, in healthy Japanese subjects.

METHODS

Two open-label, single-sequence, crossover studies were conducted in healthy Japanese males aged 20-45 years. In Study 1 (n = 20), subjects received a single oral 2.5 mg dose of esaxerenone (Days 1, 13), with itraconazole 200 mg twice daily (Day 8) and once daily (Days 9-16). In Study 2 (n = 12), subjects received a single oral 5 mg dose of esaxerenone (Days 1, 13), with rifampicin 600 mg once daily (Days 8-16). The plasma concentration of esaxerenone and esaxerenone metabolites were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated using noncompartmental analysis, and safety was assessed.

RESULTS

Esaxerenone exposure increased when coadministered with itraconazole. Geometric least-square mean ratios (90% confidence interval) of peak plasma esaxerenone concentration (C_max ), area under the plasma concentration-time curve (AUC) from zero until the last measurable concentration (AUC_last ) and AUC from zero until infinity (AUC_inf ) were 1.13 (1.05, 1.20) ng mL^-1 , 1.47 (1.40, 1.54) ng h mL^-1 and 1.53 (1.45, 1.62) ng h mL^-1 , respectively. Esaxerenone exposure decreased when coadministered with rifampicin. Geometric least-squares mean ratios (90% confidence interval) of esaxerenone C_max , AUC_last and AUC_inf were 0.659 (0.599, 0.724), 0.315 (0.300, 0.332) and 0.312 (0.297, 0.328), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Itraconazole increased esaxerenone AUC_inf by 53.1%, and rifampicin decreased esaxerenone AUC_inf by 68.8%. These results suggest that caution is recommended when coadministering esaxerenone with strong inhibitors and inducers of CYP3A.

Ethnogeographic and inter-individual variability of human ABC transporters

ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters constitute a superfamily of 48 structurally similar membrane transporters that mediate the ATP-dependent cellular export of a plethora of endogenous and xenobiotic substances. Importantly, genetic variants in ABC genes that affect gene function have clinically important effects on drug disposition and can be predictors of the risk of adverse drug reactions and efficacy of chemotherapeutics, calcium channel blockers, and protease inhibitors. Furthermore, loss-of-function of ABC transporters is associated with a variety of congenital disorders. Despite their clinical importance, information about the frequencies and global distribution of functionally relevant ABC variants is limited and little is known about the overall genetic complexity of this important gene family. Here, we systematically mapped the genetic landscape of the entire human ABC superfamily using Next-Generation Sequencing data from 138,632 individuals across seven major populations. Overall, we identified 62,793 exonic variants, 98.5% of which were rare. By integrating five computational prediction algorithms with structural mapping approaches using experimentally determined crystal structures, we found that the functional ABC variability is extensive and highly population-specific. Every individual harbored between 9.3 and 13.9 deleterious ABC variants, 76% of which were found only in a single population. Carrier rates of pathogenic variants in ABC transporter genes associated with autosomal recessive congenital diseases, such as cystic fibrosis or pseudoxanthoma elasticum, closely mirrored the corresponding population-specific disease prevalence, thus providing a novel resource for rare disease epidemiology. Combined, we provide the most comprehensive, systematic, and consolidated overview of ethnogeographic ABC transporter variability with important implications for personalized medicine, clinical genetics, and precision public health.

FOLFIRINOX vs gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel for treatment of metastatic pancreatic cancer: Single-center cohort study

BACKGROUND

FOLFIRINOX and gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel (Gem + nabPTX) were recently introduced for metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment. However, studies that compared these two regimens and studies in Asian populations are lacking.

AIM

To compare the treatment outcomes of FOLFIRINOX and Gem + nabPTX regimen for metastatic pancreatic cancer treatment in Korean population.

METHODS

Patients with metastatic or recurrent pancreatic cancer treated with FOLFIRINOX (n = 86) or Gem + nabPTX (n = 81) as the first-line since January 2015 were identified using the Severance Hospital Pancreatic Cancer Cohort Registry. Treatment efficacy, treatment-related adverse events and economic aspects were compared.

RESULTS

Patients in the FOLFIRINOX group were significantly younger (54 vs 65 years; P < 0.001) and had better performance statuses at diagnosis. The median overall survival (10.7 vs 12.1 mo; P = 0.157), progression-free survival (8.0 vs 8.4 mo; P = 0.134), and objective response rates (33.7% vs 46.9%; P = 0.067) were not significantly different when compared with Gem + nabPTX group. Grade ≥ 3 neutropenia and gastrointestinal adverse events were more common in the FOLFIRINOX group. The drug costs of both regimens were similar.

CONCLUSION

Treatment efficacy and economic burdens were comparable between the two regimens. But, the details of adverse event were different. Gem + nabPTX regimen might be considered preferentially in certain conditions.

Impact of Asian ethnicity on outcome in metastatic EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer

AIM

To determine factors associated with survival in de novo stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients possessing epidermal growth factor receptor mutations (EGFRmut⁺ ) receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in the first-line setting.

METHODS

The Glans-Look Lung Cancer Database was used to retrospectively review stage IV EGFRmut⁺ NSCLC patients diagnosed 2010-2016 receiving first-line TKI. Patients with overall survival times in the upper quartile (≥34 months) were designated "long-term survivors" (LTS), the remaining deemed "average-term survivors" and characteristics between these groups were compared in univariate analysis, and multivariable models constructed to determine predictors of outcome.

RESULTS

Of 170 eligible patients, median overall survival was 21 months. LTS were significantly more likely to be of Asian ethnicity, be never-smokers and not possess brain or bone metastases at diagnosis. Asian and non-Asian patients were comparable, save for an increased propensity of Asian patients to be never smokers and have normal-range BMI. Multivariable analysis revealed Asian ethnicity [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.65; P = 0.016] and never-smoking history (HR = 0.65; P = 0.034) as indicators of improved outcome, and presence of brain metastasis at diagnosis an indicator of poor outcome (HR = 2.21; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Analysis of this population-based cohort identifies never-smoking history and absence of brain metastasis along with Asian ethnicity as an independent prognosticators of favorable outcome, and reveals Asian patients to be clinicopathologically similar to non-Asian patients. These findings suggest Asian patients represent a unique subpopulation within EGFRmut⁺ NSCLC who may possess different biological underpinnings of NSCLC.

Optimizing Pediatric Dosing Recommendations and Treatment Management of Antiretroviral Drugs Using Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Data in Children Living With HIV

INTRODUCTION

This review summarizes the current dosing recommendations for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in the international pediatric guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and Pediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA), and evaluates the research that informed these approaches. We further explore the role of data generated through therapeutic drug monitoring in optimizing the dosing of ARVs in children.

METHODS

A PubMed search was conducted for the literature on ARV dosing published in English. In addition, the registration documentation of European Medicines Agency and the US Food and Drug Administration for currently used ARVs and studies referenced by the WHO, DHHS, and EMA guidelines were screened. Resulting publications were screened for papers containing data on the area under the concentration-time curve, trough concentration, and peak concentration. Studies with enrolled participants with a median or mean age of ≥18 years were excluded. No restriction on publishing date was applied.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

Pediatric ARV dosing is frequently based on data obtained from small studies and is often simplified to facilitate dosing in the context of a public health approach. Pharmacokinetic parameters of pediatric ARVs are subject to high interpatient variation and this leads to a potential risk of underdosing or overdosing when drugs are used in real life. To ensure optimal use of ARVs and validate dosing recommendations for children, it is essential to monitor ARV dosing more thoroughly with larger sample sizes and to include diverse subpopulations. Therapeutic drug monitoring data generated in children, where available and affordable, have the potential to enhance our understanding of the appropriateness of simplified pediatric dosing strategies recommended using a public health approach and to uncover suboptimal dosing or other unanticipated issues postmarketing, further facilitating the ultimate goal of optimizing pediatric ARV treatment.

Genetic polymorphisms of pharmacogenomic VIP variants in the Lisu population of southwestern China: A cohort study

Pharmacogenomic studies of different ethnic or racial groups have been used to develop personalized therapies specific to subjects. This study aimed to identify the distribution differences of very important pharmacogenetic (VIP) variants between the Lisu population from southwestern China and other ethnic groups.Eighty VIP variants in 37 genes were selected from the pharmacogenomic knowledge base (PharmGKB), and compared with genotype data of the Lisu population then compared with other 11 populations from the HapMap dataset and previously published data including Miao, Li, Deng, Sherpa, Lhoba, Tibetan, Kirghiz, Tajik, Mongol, Shaanxi Han ethnic, and Uygur populations.VDR rs1540339, MTHFR rs1801131, P2RY1 rs701265, and PTGS2 rs689466 were significantly different between Lisu and 11 HapMap populations. ANKK1 rs1800497 was the least statistical significant locus among selected single nucleotide polymorphisms. In addition, genetic background of Lisu was strongly closest to Shaanxi Han ethnic cohort, and followed by Chinese in metropolitan Denver population based on population structure and F-statistics analyses.Our results showed significant interethnic differences between Lisu and other populations, which will give useful information for prospective studies and better individualized treatments.

Safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of shorter duration of infusion of obinutuzumab in Japanese patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma: final results of the phase II GATS study

Background

Shorter duration of infusion of monoclonal antibody treatments may reduce treatment burden and improve healthcare resource utilization.

Methods

This phase II study recruited Japanese patients with previously untreated CD20+ B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Patients received intravenous obinutuzumab 1000 mg by regular infusion on Days 1, 8 and 15 of Cycle 1, followed by 90-min shorter duration of infusion in up to seven subsequent cycles, provided they received ≥3 regular infusions without any grade ≥3 infusion-related reactions and had a lymphocyte count <5.0 × 109 cells/l. Standard cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone chemotherapy was given in Cycles 1-6. The primary endpoints were as follows: incidence of grade ≥3 infusion-related reactions in Cycle 2 in patients who started shorter duration of infusion in Cycle 2, serum obinutuzumab concentrations and pharmacokinetic parameters and the time course of cytokine release. Adverse events and serious adverse events were monitored.

Results

Of 35 patients treated, 28 completed eight cycles; 31 started shorter duration of infusion in Cycle 2 and two patients in subsequent cycles. Two patients discontinued before starting shorter duration of infusion. No grade ≥3 infusion-related reactions occurred in Cycle 2. Twenty-one infusion-related reactions (all grades 1-2) were reported in 17/35 (49%) patients overall, mostly in Cycle 1 (18/21 infusion-related reactions [86%]). Grade ≥3 AEs occurring in ≥10% of patients included neutropenia/neutrophil count decreased (66%) and leukopenia/white blood cell count decreased (23%). Steady-state pharmacokinetics of obinutuzumab were attained in Cycle 2 and were not affected by shorter duration of infusion. No relevant cytokine elevations were reported with shorter duration of infusion.

Conclusions

Regular infusion and shorter duration of infusion of obinutuzumab have comparable tolerability and pharmacokinetics in Japanese patients.

Pharmacokinetics of CYP2C9, CYP2C19, and CYP2D6 substrates in healthy Chinese and European subjects

PURPOSE

The aim of this analysis is to compare the pharmacokinetics of drug substrates in healthy Chinese and European subjects of aligned CYP2C9, CYP2C19, or CYP2D6 enzyme activity, providing further insight into drivers of interethnic differences in pharmacokinetics.

METHODS

Following identification of appropriate drug substrates, a comprehensive and structured literature search was conducted to identify single-dose pharmacokinetic data in healthy Chinese or European subjects with reported CYP2C9, CYP2C19, or CYP2D6 activity (genotype or phenotype). The ratio of drug AUC in the Chinese and European subjects classified with aligned enzyme activity was calculated (ethnicity ratio (ER)).

RESULTS

For 22/25 drugs identified, the ERs calculated indicated no or only limited interethnic differences in exposure (<twofold) in Chinese and European subjects with aligned polymorphic enzyme activity. The interethnic differences observed can reflect differences across populations in additional determinants of pharmacokinetics, although the notable between study variation and change over time in methods used to assign enzyme activity may also be contributing factors. There was no association between drug substrate fraction metabolized (fm) for CYP2C9, CYP2C19, or CYP2D6 and the ERs calculated.

CONCLUSION

The spectrum of pharmacokinetic determinants for each drug substrate and their differences across ethnic groups must be considered on a case-by-case basis in addition to metabolism by CYP2C9, CYP2C19, or CYP2D6. This analysis has also highlighted the challenges which arise when comparing published datasets if consistent methods to assign polymorphic enzyme activity have not been used.

Organs-on-chips at the frontiers of drug discovery

Improving the effectiveness of preclinical predictions of human drug responses is critical to reducing costly failures in clinical trials. Recent advances in cell biology, microfabrication and microfluidics have enabled the development of microengineered models of the functional units of human organs - known as organs-on-chips - that could provide the basis for preclinical assays with greater predictive power. Here, we examine the new opportunities for the application of organ-on-chip technologies in a range of areas in preclinical drug discovery, such as target identification and validation, target-based screening, and phenotypic screening. We also discuss emerging drug discovery opportunities enabled by organs-on-chips, as well as important challenges in realizing the full potential of this technology.

A comprehensive evaluation of the role of genetic variation in follicular lymphoma survival

Background

Survival in follicular lymphoma (FL) is highly variable, even within prognostic groups defined by tumor grade and the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index. Studies suggest that germline single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may hold prognostic information but further investigation is needed.

Methods

We explored the association between SNPs and FL outcome using two approaches: 1) Two independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of ~300.000 SNPs followed by a meta-analysis encompassing 586 FL patients diagnosed in Denmark/Sweden 1999–2002 and in the United States 2001–2006; and 2) Investigation of 22 candidate-gene variants previously associated with FL outcome in the Danish/Swedish cohort (N = 373). We estimated time to lymphoma-specific death (approach 1 and 2) and lymphoma progression (approach 2) with hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) in a multivariable Cox regression model.

Results

In the GWAS meta-analysis, using a random effects model, no variants were associated with lymphoma-specific death at a genome-wide significant level (p < 5.0 ×10⁻⁸). The strongest association was observed for tightly linked SNPs on 17q24 near the ABCA10 and ABCA6 genes (rs10491178 HR_random = 3.17, 95% CI 2.09-4.79, p_random = 5.24 ×10⁻⁸). The ABCA10 and ABCA6 genes belong to a family of genes encoding for ABC transporter proteins, implicated in multidrug resistance. In line with a previous study, rs2466571 in CD46 (HR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.58-0.91, p = 0.006) showed nominal association with lymphoma progression, as did two highly linked SNPs in IL8 (rs4073 HR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.62-0.97, p = 0.02; rs2227307 HR = 0.75, 95% CI 0.60-0.94, p = 0.01) previously associated with overall survival.

Conclusions

The results suggest a possible role for multidrug resistance in FL survival and add to the evidence that genetic variation in CD46 and IL8 may have prognostic implications in FL. Our findings need further confirmation in other independent populations or in a larger multicenter GWAS.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12881-014-0113-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Population pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of erlotinib and pharmacogenomic analysis of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid drug concentrations in Japanese patients with non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Erlotinib shows large inter-patient pharmacokinetic variability, but the impact of early drug exposure and genetic variations on the clinical outcomes of erlotinib remains fully investigated. The primary objective of this study was to clarify the population pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of erlotinib in Japanese patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The secondary objective was to identify genetic determinant(s) for the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) permeability of erlotinib and its active metabolite OSI-420.

METHODS

A total of 88 patients treated with erlotinib (150 mg/day) were enrolled, and CSF samples were available from 23 of these patients with leptomeningeal metastases. Plasma and CSF concentrations of erlotinib and OSI-420 were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed with the nonlinear mixed-effects modelling program NONMEM. Germline mutations including ABCB1 (1236C>T, 2677G>T/A, 3435C>T), ABCG2 (421C>A), and CYP3A5 (6986A>G) polymorphisms, as well as somatic EGFR activating mutations if available, were examined. Early exposure to erlotinib and its safety/efficacy relationship were evaluated.

RESULTS

The apparent clearance of erlotinib and OSI-420 were significantly decreased by 24 and 35 % in patients with the ABCG2 421A allele, respectively (p < 0.001), while ABCB1 and CYP3A5 polymorphisms did not affect their apparent clearance. The ABCG2 421A allele was significantly associated with increased CSF penetration for both erlotinib and OSI-420 (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the incidence of grade ≥2 diarrhea was significantly higher in patients harboring this mutant allele (p = 0.035). A multivariate logistic regression model showed that erlotinib trough (C0) levels on day 8 were an independent risk factor for the development of grade ≥2 diarrhea (p = 0.037) and skin rash (p = 0.031). Interstitial lung disease (ILD)-like events occurred in 3 patients (3.4 %), and the median value of erlotinib C0 levels adjacent to these events was approximately 3 times higher than that in patients who did not develop ILD (3253 versus 1107 ng/mL; p = 0.014). The objective response rate in the EGFR wild-type group was marginally higher in patients achieving higher erlotinib C0 levels (≥1711 ng/mL) than that in patients having lower erlotinib C0 levels (38 versus 5 %; p = 0.058), whereas no greater response was observed in the higher group (67 %) versus the lower group (77 %) within EGFR mutation-positive patients (p = 0.62).

CONCLUSIONS

ABCG2 can influence the apparent clearance of erlotinib and OSI-420, and their CSF permeabilities in patients with NSCLC. Our preliminary findings indicate that early exposure to erlotinib may be associated with the development of adverse events and that increased erlotinib exposure may be relevant to the antitumor effects in EGFR wild-type patients while having less of an impact on the tumor response in EGFR mutation-positive patients.

Role of pharmacogenetics on adjuvant chemotherapy-induced neutropenia in Chinese breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer patients regularly undergo adjuvant chemotherapies following surgery. However, these treatments are largely associated with chemotherapeutic toxicities ranging from nausea to severe myelosuppression. In this investigation, we examined the effects of four SNPs in NR1I2, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 genes on chemotherapy-induced severe neutropenia in 311 female Chinese breast cancer patients undergoing a standard adjuvant chemotherapy regimen.

METHODS

Patients were monitored for adverse reactions throughout the treatment, then divided into "none or mild" (80 %) or "severe" (20 %) toxicity groups according to whether they suffered grade 4 neutropenia defined as having an absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) of less than 0.5 × 10(9)/L anytime during the treatment. DNA was extracted from patients' peripheral blood samples, then genotyped using allele-specific Tm-shift PCR and melting analysis.

RESULTS

Logistic regression revealed that rs776746 or CYP3A5*3 strongly associated with grade 4 neutropenia (OR = 2.56, P = 0.023) after adjustment for covariates, one of which more significant factor was baseline ANC (OR = 0.68, P = 0.020). Although univariate analysis in all patients did not reveal any association at first, further analysis indicated that rs776746 is significantly associated with severe neutropenia in subgroup of breast cancer patients with normal baseline ANC (≥2.0 × 10(9)/L). These carriers of A-allele have 3.14-fold increased risk of developing severe neutropenia (P = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggested that polymorphisms in CYP3A5 might be useful pharmacogenetic markers for the prediction of severe neutropenia during chemotherapy, however, only after screening patients by their baseline ANC in the presence of gene-environmental interaction. We demonstrate an approach of pharmacogenetic analysis, in which the genetic data should be analyzed in the perspective of other clinical parameters.