Pharmacogenetics of anticancer drugs in non-Hodgkin lymphomas

The variability of tumour responses to chemotherapeutic agents is a topic of major interest in current oncology research. Advances in the knowledge of molecular pathology of cancer make available strategies by which tumour cells can be profiled for their genetic background in order to select anticancer agents that might selectively kill cells in a molecular context that matches the mechanism of action of drugs. The next generation of anticancer treatments might thus be tailored on the basis of the numerous molecular alterations identified in tumour cells of a particular patient. However, to exploit these alterations, it is necessary to understand how they influence the cellular pathways that control the sensitivity or, conversely, resistance to chemotherapeutic agents. The aim of this article is to outline major genetic abnormalities in non-Hodgkin lymphomas that can be used to streamline anticancer drug selection and to underscore the major role of pharmacogenetics, which studies the interactions between genetic background and drug activity, to the prediction of likelihood of response and identification of potential new targets for pharmacological intervention. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.com