The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7253 p818
14 June 2003

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Gene variations can predict response to platinum drugs

A patient's response to cisplatin or carboplatin could be predicted by genetic variations in their ability to repair DNA, according to Dr Sarada Gurubhagavatula, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

She presented results from a trial involving 103 patients with stage III or IV non-small cell lung cancer at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

The researchers tested the patients for genetic polymorphisms and found that variations in the DNA repair genes XPD and XRCC1 were associated with shortened survival. Patients who had the most variations responded least well to therapy. Those patients with three variations in the XPD and XRCC1 genes survived for a median of 6.8 months, while those with no variations survived for a median of 20.4 months.

Patients with one and two variations in the XPD and XRCC1 genes survived for 16.6 months and 11 months, respectively.

The Journal attended the 39th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, held in Chicago, Illinois, from 31 May until 3 June, courtesy of Eli Lilly. It was attended by more than 25,000 cancer specialists