Unusual gastrointestinal and cutaneous toxicities by bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin: a case report with pharmacogenetic analysis to personalize treatment

EPMA J. 2017 Mar 7;8(1):69-73. doi: 10.1007/s13167-017-0080-z. eCollection 2017 Mar.

Abstract

The standard treatment of testicular germ cell tumors is based on the combination of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (PEB). However, this treatment may be associated with severe adverse reactions, such as hematological and non-hematological toxicities. Here, we report a case of a patient suffering from severe PEB-related toxicities, to whom pharmacogenetic analyses were performed, comprising a panel of genes involved in PEB metabolism. The analysis revealed the presence of a complex pattern of polymorphisms in GSTP1, UGT1A1 (TA)6/7, UGT1A7, and ABCB1. The present case shows that a pharmacogenetic approach can help in the management of adverse drug reactions in order to predict, prevent, and personalize treatments.

Keywords: Bleomycin-etoposide-cisplatin combined treatment; Pharmacogenetics; Polymorphisms; Precision medicine; Predictive preventive personalized medicine; Testicular germ cell cancer; Toxicity.