Pharmacogenomic study findings could aid decision-making in future leukemia clinical trials

09-11-2006

Findings from recent pharmacogenomic studies could aid decision-making in future clinical trials for acute lymphoblastic leukemia and help soon achieve event-free survival.

According to a recent review from Austria, "The cure rate in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia now exceeds almost 80% in most treatment protocols in industrialized countries. This has mainly been achieved empirically through carefully controlled, randomized clinical trials. Due to relative nonspecific action and narrow therapeutic indices of antileukemic medications, however, current therapy can be associated with significant short and long-term adverse effects, and around 20% of patients will not be cured despite intensified treatment."

"Pharmacogenomics, which studies the role of inheritance in individual variation in drug disposition and response, could be a useful tool to further improve outcome in this heterogeneous disease by individualization of therapy based on information gained from the genetic 'make-up' of normal host cells and lymphoblastic leukemia cells," explained L. Kager and colleagues, St. Anna Children's Hospital.

"The focus of this review is on recent progress in the field by discussing the results of selected studies in which information from functional genomics, high-throughput molecular analyses, and pharmacodynamics has been integrated to establish pharmacogenomic models. These models may be used to both maximize efficacy and minimize toxicity of existing antileukemic medications, or to identify novel therapeutic targets in lymphoblasts that are resistant to conventional antileukemic drugs.

"The findings from recent pharmacogenomic studies can be integrated into decision-making in future clinical trials. Thus there is great promise for advancing event-free survival in childhood leukemia in the future," the authors concluded.

Kager and colleagues published their review in Current Opinion in Hematology (Pharmacogenomics of acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Curr Opin Hematol, 2006;13(4):260-265).

For additional information, contact L. Kager, St. Anna Children's Hospital, Dept. of Hematology Oncology, Children's Cancer Research Institute, Kinderspitalgasse 6, A-1090 Vienna, Austria.

Publisher contact information for the journal Current Opinion in Hematology is: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 530 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106-3621, USA.

Keywords: Vienna, Austria, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Childhood Leukemia, Clinical Trial, Event Free Survival, Genetics, Genomics, Hematology, Pediatric, Pharmacodynamic, Pharmacogenomics, Pharmacology, Cancer Therapy.

This article was prepared by Clinical Oncology Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2006, Clinical Oncology Week via NewsRx.com.