An oral loading test to predict susceptibility to fluoropyrimidine drug toxicity

Abstract:: Side-effects from anticancer drugs can be unpleasant, but may be deadly if a patient's genes are wrong for the drugs. A common chemotherapy drug, fluorouracil, can be very dangerous, but there's no simple way to predict this. We developed a simple test in which a small amount of a natural chemical is swallowed before chemotherapy. The results should allow the doctor to predict if a patient will suffer serious side effects on fluorouracil, so the dose can be reduced, or another drug tried.
Grant type:: NHMRC Project Grant
Funded by:: National Health and Medical Research Council