Genetic Marker Predicts Taxane-Induced Neuropathy - OncologySTAT

Genetic Marker Predicts Taxane-Induced Neuropathy - OncologySTAT

This is from May 2011:

Optimism for a Genetic Predictor of Taxane Neurotoxicity

"The first potential biomarker useful in predicting taxane neurotoxicity may be near. A marker in the RWDD3 gene was identified in an ECOG study of 2204 patients with early-stage breast cancer after 12 weeks of weekly paclitaxel. Results are to be presented at ASCO. Divided into 3 genetic subgroups, neuropathy occurred in 27%, 40%, and 60% of patients at 15 months. A subset analysis is underway for African American patients, who had a twofold increase in neuropathy.
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Older people and blacks, the same study found, are at elevated risk of developing neuropathy, which affects up to a third of people receiving chemotherapy with taxane drugs such as paclitaxel.
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By looking at more than 1.2 million SNPs in each patient, Dr. Schneider and his colleagues were able to identify genetic subgroups most likely to develop neuropathy. "Those who carried two normal nucleotides in a specific regulatory gene had a 27% chance of experiencing neuropathy," the investigators wrote in their abstract. "But those who carried one normal nucleotide and one SNP had a 40% chance and those who carried two SNPs had a 60% chance."

Dr. Schneider and his colleagues also found that older patients and blacks were much more likely to have peripheral neuropathy. The likelihood of neuropathy increased 12.9% with every decade of age. Blacks saw a twofold increase in the likelihood of developing neuropathy.

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http://oncologystat.com/news/Genetic_Marker_Predicts_Taxane-Induced_Neuropathy_US.html