Abstract. Gemcitabine (GCB) is a pyrimidine antimetabolite widely used in various solid tumors as a single agent or as a component of multidrug regimens. In the majority of patients, GCB is well tolerated, however life-threatening complications occasionally occur. The current report presents four cases of severe acute toxicity, which included two that were fatal, following administration of GCB alone or in combination with cisplatin. Of the four cases, in one, a Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Score was definite, in two, probable and in one possible. To determine the potential causes of these toxicities, polymorphic variants of cytidine deaminase, the primary enzyme involved in the hepatic metabolism of GCB, were assessed. The homogeneous c.435TT variant was detected in one patient and a heterozygotic c.435CT variant in two, one of whom additionally harbored a heterozygotic c.79AC variant.
IntroductionGemcitabine (GCB) is an anticancer agent widely used alone or in combination with other cytotoxics in the treatment of various malignancies including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), pancreatic, bladder, breast, ovarian, prostate cancer, and cholangiocarcinoma (1). GCB toxicity is generally mild, transitory and rarely dose limiting. Most common side effects include laboratory alterations, such as myelosupression, transaminase elevation, mild proteinuria and hematuria, whereas symptomatic toxicities are usually well controlled and not life threatening (2-4). Factors increasing GCB toxicity include its combination with platinum derivatives or taxanes, liver and kidney diseases, and alcohol abuse (5-10). There are no evidence-based and generally accepted recommendations for dose modifications of GCB, and clinical decisions are typically made based on empirical grounds.The main enzyme involved in hepatic metabolism of GCB is cytidine deaminase (CDA), encoded by the CDA gene located in locus 1p36. 2-35 (11-15). Data regarding toxicity related to CDA polymorphisms are inconsistent (16)(17)(18). Nevertheless, several studies demonstrated that single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of CDA c.79 A>C, c.208 G>A and c.435C>T, with resulting decreased serum CDA concentration, may lead to severe toxicity induced by GCB (18-31).We describe here severe toxicity in four patients treated with GCB used alone or in combination with cisplatin. For each case, the probability of adverse drug reaction probability was assessed using the Naranjo scale described in the study by Naranjo et al (32). In the search of potential toxicity causes, we performed in all cases evaluation of CDA polymorphisms.
Case 1.A 67-year-old-woman was diagnosed with poorly differentiated tubule-solid gallbladder adenocarcinoma invading the liver and spreading to the greater omentum. The patient reported recurrent pain in the upper abdomen, but was otherwise in a fairly good condition [World Health Organization Performance Status (WHO PS) 2], with body mass index of 18.6 and no apparent active inflammatory symptoms. Serum alanine transaminase (ALT) and a...