A new study has revealed that children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who had a certain gene variant experienced a higher incidence and severity of peripheral neuropathy after receiving treatment with the cancer drug vincristine.
Vincristine is widely used and an effective anticancer agent for treating leukemias in both adults and children. The dose-limiting toxic effect of the drug is peripheral neuropathy (damage to the nerves), characterized by neuropathic (nerve) pain and impaired manual dexterity, balance, and altered gait. Presently, there are no reliable means of identifying patients at high risk of vincristine induced neuropathy nor strategies to reduce vincristine toxicity.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the cancer of white blood cells characterized by excess lymphoblasts. It is the most common of all childhood cancers and can be fatal in weeks if left untreated.
Advertisement
Researchers performed a genome-wide association study to determine whether there are genetic variants associated with vincristine-induced neuropathy. The study included participants in 1 of 2 prospective clinical trials for childhood ALL that included treatment with 36 to 39 doses of vincristine. Genetic analysis and vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy were assessed in 321 study patients from whom DNA was available- 222 patients (median age, 6.0 years) enrolled in 1994-1998 in a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital cohort; and 99 patients (median age, 11.4 years) enrolled in 2007-2010 in a Children's Oncology Group (COG) cohort.
Grade 2 (moderate) to grade 4 (life threatening) vincristine-induced neuropathy during therapy occurred in 28.8 percent of patients (64/222) in the St. Jude cohort and in 22.2 percent (22/99) in the COG cohort. The researchers found that an inherited variant in the gene CEP72 was associated with a higher incidence and severity of the cancer drug-related peripheral neuropathy in children with ALL. Among patients with the gene variant, 28 of 50 (56 percent) developed at least 1 episode of grade 2 to grade 4 neuropathy, compared with 21 percent (58/271) of other patients.
The authors wrote, "If replicated in additional populations, this finding may provide a basis for safer dosing of this widely prescribed anticancer agent."
The study is published in the 'JAMA'.
Source: Medindia
The authors wrote, "If replicated in additional populations, this finding may provide a basis for safer dosing of this widely prescribed anticancer agent."
The study is published in the 'JAMA'.
Source: Medindia
Broccoli Compound May Help Fight Leukemia
Sulforaphane, a compound found in broccoli is thought to have anti-carcinogenic and chemo preventive properties.
Advertisement
 Microarray Technology May Be the Game Changer in Diagnosis of LeukemiaMicroarray technology that can search millions of chromosomes quickly allows better diagnosis of previously undetected cases of acute myelogenous leukemia. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Cancer News
A nanoengineering platform targets neutrophils, the white blood cells without killing pancreatic cancer cells paving the way for effective treatments.
The survival rates between lobectomy and wedge resection surgical procedures were found to be the same among lung cancer patients.
The mechanism by which the kinases cause inflammation has been discovered by scientists.
Pancreatic cancer cases are on the rise. The biomarker approach could reduce the chance of developing pancreatic cancer.
New combination of medications trametinib and entinostat were found to decrease lung cancer in mice.