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Current Clinical Pharmacology

Editor-in-Chief

ISSN (Print): 1574-8847
ISSN (Online): 2212-3938

Pharmacogenetics of Irinotecan Disposition and Toxicity: A Review

Author(s): Ken-ichi Fujita and Alex Sparreboom

Volume 5, Issue 3, 2010

Page: [209 - 217] Pages: 9

DOI: 10.2174/157488410791498806

Price: $65

Abstract

Irinotecan (CPT-11) is a widely used anticancer drug, especially for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Irinotecan is considered an inactive prodrug that requires activation to the active metabolite SN-38. Patients treated with irinotecan occasionally experience severe neutropenia and delayed diarrhea, and the occurrence of these adverse reactions is unpredictable and still largely unexplained. Various studies have demonstrated a relationship between SN-38 pharmacokinetics and the experienced toxicity. In recent years, genetic polymorphisms in UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1, an enzyme involved in SN-38 glucuronidation, has been linked to interindividual pharmacokinetic variability and irinotecan toxicity. In addition, variants in other genes encoding drug-metabolizing enzymes or transporters that are involved in the disposition of irinotecan may play a crucial role in the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of irinotecan. In this review, we provide an update on the pharmacogenetics of irinotecan.

Keywords: Irinotecan, toxicity, pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenetics, UGT1A1, variability


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