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Cancer pharmacogenomic studies in Latin America

Abstract:

For more than 50 years it has been proven that the genetic differences among people contribute to interindividual differences on the response to drugs commonly used in cancer treatments. In this century all drugs developed for the treatment of cancer are "Biological Drugs" forward molecular targets and its effect mainly depends on genetic variants that may be present in the tumor. Pharmacogenomics makes it possible to identify genetic variations that may pbkp_redict patients' response to different types of chemotherapy more efficiently. The genetic variations significantly change among ethnic groups, and the assessment of the haplotypes may generate results that are highly correlated to the phenotype. Latin America is a region where its populations have different phenotypic characteristics due to the great inter-ethnic mixing. Consequently, determines an important genetic flow leading to the appearance of complex characteristics influenced by given geographic and environmental factors that allow individuals to get adapted to the region where they live. These evolving changes, most of them subtle, establish a profile that could help to develop pharmacogenomic therapies on populations and individuals in order to take control of diseases, toxicity. Pharmacogenomics allows for improving the investment in public and private health in the Latin American countries, saving time and resources that doctors and patients need, finding addequate treatments based on "trial and error". An additional benefit has to do with the improvement of drug dosification used in the different treatment plans against cancer, starting from the genetic chart of each patient rather than their age and weight.