The basic principals of pharmacogenetics testing in cancer treatment

Abstract

Introduction: Precision medicine is an approach that considers genetics, environment and lifestyle factors when prevent and treat different diseases. The important part of precision medicine is pharmacogenetics, a branch of clinical pharmacology that analyzes how genetic makeup affects the response to the drugs. Methods: Since oncology is a field of particular interest in precision medicine, this article summarizes the basic principles of pharmacogenetics testing in cancer treatment. Topic: The following topics have been discussed: Samples for pharmacogenetics testing (peripheral blood, tumor biopsy, liquid biopsy), methods in pharmacogenetics testing (conventional hotspot methods and comprehensive genome profiling), comprehensive genome profiling (CGP) in clinical settings and oncology therapy in Serbia that depends on genetic testing. Conclusion: Pharmacogenetics testing provides the delivery of safe and efficient therapy. The usage of CGP methods opens up the possibility for the usage of therapies directed to genetic markers across tumor types. However, this approach needs evaluation through well-designed research projects and clinical trials.

Keywords

• pharmacogenetics
• polymerase chain reaction
• next generation sequencing
• comprehensive genome profiling