Frequency of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 variants in cancer patients requiring chemotherapy: A single-center study in southern India

Cancer treatment using drugs metabolized by the enzymes dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) results in adverse effects for some patients. This is frequently reported in cancer patients undergoing therapy with 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine, and irinotecan who have polymorphisms in the genes coding for DPYD and UGT1A1. The present study assessed the DPYD*2A and UGT1A1*28 polymorphisms in cancer patients before starting chemotherapy to identify the individuals at risk of developing an adverse drug reaction.

Genomic DNA was isolated from patients and subjected to PCR amplification using specific primers to study DPYD*2A and UGT1A1*28 polymorphisms. The PCR products were assessed by Sanger sequencing for establishing the genotype.

Of 75 cancer patients requiring treatment with drugs metabolized by DPYD and UGT1A1, 2 (2.66%) and 12 (29.27%) were likely to have adverse reactions based on DPYD*2A and UGT1A1*28 genotyping, respectively.

Our findings indicate that carrying out genotyping for these two polymorphisms will help a large number of patients requiring treatment with 5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, and capecitabine.