Frontiers in Oncology (Jun 2023)

Case report: 5-Fluorouracil treatment in patient with an important partial DPD deficiency

  • Antonin Schmitt,
  • Antonin Schmitt,
  • Bernard Royer,
  • Romain Boidot,
  • Joseph Berthier,
  • François Ghiringhelli,
  • François Ghiringhelli

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2023.1187052
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 13

Abstract

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Esophageal cancer is a cancer with poor prognosis and the standard 1st line treatment for metastatic or recurrent EC is systemic chemotherapy with doublet chemotherapy based on platinum and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). However, 5-FU could be a source of severe treatment-related toxicities due to deficiency of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD). In this case report, a 74-year-old man with metastatic esophageal cancer was found to have partial DPD deficiency based on uracilemia measurements (about 90 ng/mL). Despite this, 5-FU was safely administered thanks to therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The case report highlights the importance of TDM in administering 5-FU to patients with partial DPD deficiency, as it allows individualized dosing and prevents severe toxicity.

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