The pharmacogenomics of osteosarcoma

Pharmacogenomics J. 2017 Jan;17(1):11-20. doi: 10.1038/tpj.2016.45. Epub 2016 May 31.

Abstract

Osteosarcoma (OS), the most common malignant tumor of bone, is presently treated with multidrug neoadjuvant chemotherapy protocols, which allow to cure 60-65% of patients but also induce toxicity events that cannot be predicted or efficiently prevented. The identification and validation of pharmacogenomic biomarkers is, therefore, absolutely warranted to provide the bases for planning personalized treatments with the aim to increase the therapeutic benefits and to avoid or limit unnecessary toxicities. As several targeted therapies against molecular and immunological markers in OS are presently under clinical investigation, it may be speculated that some new agents for innovative treatments may emerge in the next years. However, the real improvement of therapeutic perspectives for OS is strictly connected to the identification of pharmacogenomic biomarkers that may stratify patients in responders or non-responders and identify those individuals with higher susceptibility to treatment-associated toxicity. This review provides an overview of the pharmacogenomic biomarkers identified so far in OS, which appear to be promising candidates for a translation to clinical practice, after further investigation and/or prospective validation.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacokinetics
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Bone Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Bone Neoplasms / genetics
  • Bone Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Bone Neoplasms / pathology
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Osteosarcoma / drug therapy*
  • Osteosarcoma / genetics
  • Osteosarcoma / metabolism
  • Osteosarcoma / pathology
  • Patient Selection
  • Pharmacogenetics*
  • Pharmacogenomic Testing
  • Pharmacogenomic Variants*
  • Phenotype
  • Precision Medicine
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Risk Factors
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents