Aims: Cancer patients with reduced dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) activity are at increased risk of severe fluoropyrimidine (FP)-related adverse events (AE). Guidelines recommend FP dosing adjusted to genotype-predicted DPD activity based on four DPYD variants (rs3918290, rs55886062, rs67376798 and rs56038477). We evaluated the relationship between three further DPYD polymorphisms: c.496A>G (rs2297595), *6 c.2194G>A (rs1801160) and *9A c.85T>C (rs1801265) and the risk of severe AEs.
Methods: Consecutive FP-treated adult patients were genotyped for "standard" and tested DPYD variants, and for UGT1A1*28 if irinotecan was included, and were monitored for the occurrence of grade ≥3 (National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria) vs. grade 0-2 AEs. For each of the tested polymorphisms, variant allele carriers were matched to respective wild type controls (optimal full matching combined with exact matching, in respect to: age, sex, type of cancer, type of FP, DPYD activity score, use of irinotecan/UGT1A1, adjuvant therapy, radiotherapy, biological therapy and genotype on the remaining two tested polymorphisms).
Results: Of the 503 included patients (82.3% colorectal cancer), 283 (56.3%) developed grade ≥3 AEs, mostly diarrhoea and neutropenia. Odds of grade ≥3 AEs were higher in c.496A>G variant carriers (n = 127) than in controls (n = 376) [OR = 5.20 (95% CI 1.88-14.3), Bayesian OR = 5.24 (95% CrI 3.06-9.12)]. Odds tended to be higher in c.2194G>A variant carriers (n = 58) than in controls (n = 432) [OR = 1.88 (0.95-3.73), Bayesian OR = 1.90 (1.03-3.56)]. c.85T>C did not appear associated with grade ≥3 AEs (206 variant carriers vs. 284 controls).
Conclusion: DPYD c.496A>G and possibly c.2194G>A variants might need to be considered for inclusion in the DPYD genotyping panel.
Keywords: DPYD; adverse drug reactions; dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase; fluoropyrimidines; pharmacogenetics.
© 2021 British Pharmacological Society.