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  • Clinical Implications
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Clinical Implication

Clinical implications of genetic polymorphisms on stomach cancer drug therapy

The Pharmacogenomics Journal volume 7, pages 76–80 (2007)Cite this article

Gastric cancer (GC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, although its incidence in many Western countries declined during the last decade. Chemotherapy is widely used to treat GC, and a number of randomized studies have recently demonstrated that systemic treatment can improve overall survival (OS) or quality of life. However, expected survival for the advanced disease is generally poor (less than 1 year). A number of newer chemotherapeutic compounds have been studied intensively. These include taxanes, topoisomerase I inhibitors and oral fluoropyrimidines, as well as new biological agents aiming to inhibit or modulate different targets of signal-transduction pathways or angiogenesis. However, no active second-line therapy has demonstrated definitive clinical benefit in patients with advanced GC, and in some patients therapy results solely in severe, unpredictable toxicity without any tumor response. It is therefore crucial to individualize GC chemotherapy to allow the discernment of patients in whom a particular therapy will exert a real benefit.

Pharmacogenetics has emerged as a promising new tool for better therapy design. However, despite encouraging prospects, data reported so far are conflicting and need critical consideration before translation to the treatment of GC. In this review, we discuss recent data concerning possible roles for genetic polymorphisms in GC treatment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, CRO-National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy

    G Toffoli & E Cecchin

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Correspondence to G Toffoli.

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Toffoli, G., Cecchin, E. Clinical implications of genetic polymorphisms on stomach cancer drug therapy. Pharmacogenomics J 7, 76–80 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.tpj.6500405

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